


Two Idiots and a Cape

by Cosmic0Writings



Series: Two Idiots and a Cape [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Action & Romance, Antennes - Freeform, Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff, Gay, Gay Characters, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Blood, Mild Injury, Near Death, NightHawk - Freeform, Original Character(s), Original work - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Romance, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Superheroes, Supervillains
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:20:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 26,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26824297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cosmic0Writings/pseuds/Cosmic0Writings
Summary: When the resident villain Antennes found the hero NightHawk unconscious after their latest fight, he did what any villain would do, and took the opportunity to capture the hero. He expected the hero to fight back, lash out, probably kick his butt and escape, but he DIDN'T expect to find the hero wrapped snuggly in his cape, looking warm and adorable. Oh wow, was it warm in here? No actually, it was pretty cold, so why was his face hot? And WHY was his heart feeling like it was about to explode? You know what, he was just gonna let the hero go. This was too much. Now add in another psychotic villain bent on killing NightHawk, and things just get ridiculous.(Originally posted on Wattpad, but I'm putting it here since some people asked me to!)
Relationships: Edward/Micheal
Series: Two Idiots and a Cape [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1976743
Comments: 7
Kudos: 8





	1. That Damn Cape

Antennes surveyed the abandoned building he'd just blown up with sharp eyes, looking for any sign of the hero NightHawk. They were at it again, hero vs. villain in an epic and invigorating fight, and Antennes had managed to get a good hit in that sent NightHawk flying into the rubble below. Not that he'd ever admit this, but it wasn't often that the villain got the upper hand on NightHawk, so he was taking time to soak up the success. Still, the hero wasn't down for the count yet, so he'd have to stay vigilant. Scanning the destruction, he found what he was looking for and, oh... would you look at that. Turn's out he got a better hit than he thought, as NightHawk was currently slumped against a metal beam, unconscious. Hesitantly, Antennes poked him in the shoulder. The man did nothing. Huh, well then. Antennes was none-too-happy to admit that he didn't actually know... what to do in this situation? Did he... capture the hero? Bring him to his 'spooky villain lair' or something? Sounded about right, he shrugged. That's how Antennes ended up with NightHawk slumped over his shoulder, making his way to his friend's apartment building.

It took a while for the hero to wake up, during which time Antennes was _definitely not_ on the internet searching about when you should take an unconscious person to the hospital. With a groan, NightHawk opened his eyes slowly, dazed green flitting around the room before landing on Antennes. He let out another groan, closing his eyes. Rude. 

"What? Not good enough for you?" The villain asked, feeling smug. Well, look at how the tables have turned! He took down the great and powerful NightHawk single-handedly! Wait until he tells Pam about this. The hero grunted. 

"Wh're 'm I?" He slurred. Was that a bad sign? Did he need a doctor? He'd look into it.

"Welcome to my lair, Hawk! This is where you'll be enjoying yourself for a while." He smiled evilly, dropping his cape on the ground. There was silence. NightHawk stared at him blankly, brow quirked. 

"Wow. Really?" He said dryly. "I'm quaking." Antennes didn't allow himself to frown at that.

"Oh, you should be. Now make yourself comfortable, Hawk. I'll be back." Antennes turned and strutted out of the room. Once outside of where he'd dumped the hero, he took a moment to think of what he should do now. It's not like he _planned_ to capture the hero after all. He'd have to call Pam and ask for some help. He locked the door and pulled out his phone.  
  


"I don't _know,_ I didn't think this would happen!" He shouted into the phone. He'd called his friend Pam to ask for some advice about what to do with NightHawk and was seriously regretting it.

"Wha– No! I'm not– Pam, I don't want to _torture_ him! What's wrong with you? Who's the real villain here?" He responded. He worried about this woman sometimes. He was silent as she spoke. He sighed.

"He's in the basement of your apartment building. I locked him in one of the storage rooms. Yes, your apartment! It's not like I _actually_ have an evil lair. By the way, the basement is freezing. Is something up with the A/C? Huh. But seriously, I need your help. What can I do that's not torture? Hm... Yeah, that could work... Ok, thanks, Pam. Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good day at work. Bye." He hung up, feeling drained. Alright, this was way more complicated than he thought it would be. Cracking his neck he pulled his red mask back down over his eyes and went down to the basement. Pam said that he could use this opportunity to get more information on NightHawks powers and weaknesses, and he figured that was worth a shot. If nothing else he could just knock the hero out and dump him in a hotel, pretend the whole thing was a weird dream the hero had.

He unlocked the door and walked in, smirk firmly set in place as he expected to see NightHawk shivering in a corner. What he saw instead made him freeze mid-step, mouth wide open. The hero was there, and he was in a corner, but he wasn't shivering. Instead, he was tightly wrapped in the villain's cape, looking nice and snug as he leveled a glare in Antennes' direction. The villain's mind short-circuited. NightHawk's face was currently being framed by the soft blue fabric of the cape, a nice contrast to his pale skin and blond hair, his green eyes looking unnaturally bright. Oh, wow, Antennes had never noticed the yellow in NightHawk's eyes until now. He was snapped from his thoughts when the hero cleared his throat, a confused expression on his face, clearly waiting for something. Antennes shook his head, but the fog that had settled there wouldn't disperse. He looked away, feigning indifference as the hero pulled the cape tighter around himself. He was feeling a strange, horrible feeling of... he wasn't sure what it was. His stomach was tingling and his heart was racing, and despite the cold, his face was growing warm. He was clearly ill, what else could cause these symptoms? NightHawk shuffled uneasily.

"Um, are you ok?" Antennes glared at him.

"No. Unfortunately, it would seem I'm dying and it's probably your fault. Get up, you're leaving.

"Leaving," NightHawk repeated slowly. The villain rolled his eyes.

"I'm letting you go. And.... take the cape with you. You've drooled on it and I don't want it anymore." That was the story he was going with anyway. The hero stared at him, eyes wide with surprise and face pink. Antennes looked away as his heart seemed to _stutter_ in his chest. Gods, he should go to a doctor, this didn't seem normal.

NightHawk eventually stood up, shuffling out of the villains' lair and disappearing into the night. Antennes scowled, unsure of what was wrong with him. He went back home and made a large cup of hot cocoa, turning on a random movie and searching 'why does my chest hurt?' on his laptop. Needless to say, he didn't find any answers that pertained to his situation.


	2. Bank Robberies Aren't Good For Clearing Your Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Antennes tries to forget all about the hero and the cape, and things do not go according to his plans. He really needed coffee.

Antennes struggled after that night to get ahold of himself. Ever since letting the hero NightHawk go, he'd been plagued with the image of the man wrapped snuggly in that damn cape, staring up with those huge green eyes. Even thinking of it now made Antennes' heart squeeze, a feeling not entirely uncomfortable. He couldn't seem to stop thinking about it and he didn't know why! He had plenty of other capes, what made that one special? Groaning, Antennes- though he was just Edward right now- got up off of the couch for a drink. 'I need to clear my head,' He thought. What better way to do that than rob a bank? With a smirk, Edward slipped on his mask and Antennes made his way downtown.

Well, it turns out robbing a bank is _not_ the best way to clear one's head. All of the panicking civilians and quivering tellers were just giving Antennes a headache, and the money wasn't very appealing. He'd thought about just handing it all back and leaving for some coffee when, blasting through the front door, NightHawk landed gracefully in front of him. One look at the hero and Antennes could feel his brain just... stop working. His breath caught in his throat as his heart skidded to a stop. Oh, oh no. It couldn't be...

"Is that... my cape?" Stupid question because the deep blue cape currently draping elegantly behind NightHawk was definitely his cape. Oh Gods, deep breaths. NightHawk just glared at him.

"Well, you did give it to me." He responded, fists raised, ready for a fight. Antennes on the other hand was _not_ ready for a fight. Instead, he handed the money back to the teller and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Y'know what, this really isn't a good day. I'm exhausted and in desperate need of caffeine, so I'm just gonna go." NightHawk gawked at him.

"Wha— You think I'm just going to let you waltz out of here?" Antennes stared at him.

"Uh, yeah? The money is back, the damage is superficial, and no one was hurt." Well, that was a lie. Antennes' heart was clearly failing him but that didn't have anything to do with the bank. NightHawk laughed, and it was the most lovely thing Antennes ever heard. _Ugh, pull yourself together!_

"Yeah, no can do buddy."

Quick as a flash NightHawk lashed out, sending a powerful hit towards Antennes' ribs. The villain side-stepped, feeling peeved as he grabbed the hero's arm and swung him around, nearly throwing him into a nearby civilian. NightHawk righted himself and ran zigzag, making it hard for Antennes to land a blow with his fire blasts. Leaping up, the hero kicked the villain in the chest, sending him sprawling on the ground. Antennes rolled out of the way before the hero could land on him and shot out a wild blast. The flames narrowly missed NightHawk, who glared. Antennes glanced around, trying to find a way out of the fight while dodging the endless blows NightHawk was dishing out. He didn't want to hurt the civilians, villain or not, so he needed something else... Aha! Ducking down Antennes ran to the middle of the room, just under the large chandelier that hung there. Before the hero could stop him he unleashed a large blast from his hand and sent the chandelier crashing down. While the hero and civilians shielded themselves, Antennes slipped out of the destroyed front of the bank and ran, climbing up a fire escape and disappearing from the scene. If he needed coffee before, he definitely needed it now. He stopped by his house first, taking off his villain outfit and replacing it with an old sweater and jeans, and then walked the two blocks to the coffee shop. Once there he was greeted by the barista, who looked surprised at seeing him.

"Ed? I thought you were coming in later." She said. He sighed.

"Yeah well, I needed a coffee extra bad today, Pam." He mumbled, sitting in his usual seat near the back of the shop. She got to work on his drink, the same thing he's always ordered, shooting him questioning glances now and again. He barely even noticed, deep in thought as he was. What was with him? First, he gets all hung up on a cape, then he finds no joy in robbing banks, and then he just gives up in a fight with NightHawk? He was snapped from his thoughts by a cup of coffee and a plate being set down loudly on his table. He turned to the plate with the scone on it, looking up at Pam.

"I didn't order a scone." He said simply. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah genius, I know. I figured you could use it though. Spill, what's up?"

"Why does something have to be up?" He asked, feeling defensive.

"You're wearing your 'I'm sad' sweater and sulking." He glanced down, cursing internally when he realized she was right. This was the sweater he wore when he was sad! How did he not notice? Stalling, he took a long sip of his coffee and broke the scone in half, eating is slowly. She sat down across the table and waited, arms crossed.

"Don't you have work to do?" He asked. She smirked.

"Nope. Its an off-hour. I mean look around, this place is deserted." She was right. The coffee shop was empty beside him and her. He sighed. Looks like there was no getting out of it. How did he explain this, anyway?

"It's stupid." He said finally.

"Oh, I figured. Tell me anyway."

"It's... It's my cape. NightHawk stole it and for some reason, I can't get over it. Well, actually I gave it to him when I let him go, but he stole it first–" Pam held out a hand, stopping him before he could go on.

"Wait, wait, back up. Let him go?" Oh, guess he didn't tell her about that.

"Yeah, I let him go from your apartment basement." He said.

"What? Do you mean to tell me you just let him walk out the front door? Does that mean he knows where I live?!" He shook his head.

"No! He doesn't even know about you! If anything he thinks its where I live, which it isn't, so we're fine. Can I finish now?" She gestured at him to go on.

"Anyway, as I was saying, I let him go with my cape because I didn't want it anymore after he'd drooled all over it. But now I can't stop thinking about it! I tried clearing my head, but then NightHawk showed up and he was wearing the cape!" Her eyes widened.

"He was wearing it?"

"Yeah! Said that since I gave it to him he was gonna wear it. And it looked stupid on him, too." He finished with a huff, crossing his arms. Pam stared at him. Then, her face split into a wide grin.

"Oh my Gods." She whispered.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"Oh my Gods!"

"What?!"

"YOU THOUGHT HE WAS CUTE!" She shouted, standing up from her chair and slamming her hands down on the table. He stared at her, flabbergasted.

"What? No! Did you not listen to a word I said?"

"Oh, I listened. You're not hung up on the cape, you're hung up on the guy wearing it." He shook his head.

"Uh-hah-no. Pam, you heard who was wearing the cape right? You realize its NightHawk, the hero, as in my enemy?" She rolled her eyes. He hoped they got stuck up there. They didn't.

"Enemy is a strong word. You two are rivals as most. You fight, you lose, you both go home. And when you take the mask off you aren't Ant, you're just Edward, a man so stupid he doesn't even know when he has a crush." Edward blushed red at that. Before he could retort the bell on the door rang, a woman walking in followed by an elderly man. Pam got up and greeted them at the counter, their conversation ending there. Edward finished his coffee and scone quickly, waving goodbye to Pam before leaving. He'd hoped that talking to her would help, but he just felt worse! His own friend thought that he had a crush on his enemy, a laughable thought, not that he'd tell Pam that. She'd smack him over the head. He buried his hands in his pockets as he walked back home, struggling to clear his mind. He just wanted to stop thinking about the cape and NightHawks face and those eyes– His heart fluttered and he grimaced. Ok, don't mention the eyes. Noted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to AngelicMercenary for their support! Hope you enjoyed the second chapter ;)


	3. Speed Dating Kills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward gets a very interesting e-mail, burns his biscuits, and realizes that he should NOT give Pam access to his e-mail accounts anymore.

Ugh. _Ugh._ Edward couldn't believe this. He'd woken up this morning feeling half-ok for once; Well-rested and hungry for eggs and biscuits. He'd started the oven, poured himself some apple juice, and cracked two eggs into a pan, determined to have a good day. But _no_ , of course, that mood couldn't last. Why would it? He'd made the awful mistake of checking his e-mails while waiting for his biscuits to be done and promptly spit his apple juice all over the floor. There in his inbox, daring to look innocent, was an e-mail confirming his presence at a _speed dating event_. He doesn't even do speed dating! He read through the message quickly, eyes scanning for clues as to how and why he'd received this e-mail. Blah blah thank you for signing up, blah we look forward to seeing you this Friday, blah blah blah. He went to his sent messages, looking if he had somehow forgotten that he'd, for whatever reason, signed up for this when he found it, a sent message about the dating event. The end of the message was marked with the name "Pamela Ganey". Of _course_ it was Pam, who else would torture him like this? Standing up, he went into his contacts and promptly dialed her number, stepping out of the kitchen into the living room. It rang a few times before she picked up.  
  
  


"Hello?"

"Oh, hi Pam. Hey, could you do me a favor?" He asked with false calm.

"Uh, sure?"

"Great. BUTT OUT OF MY LIFE." He shouted into the phone, the sound of her letting out a hiss of pain only mildly amusing.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help! You were all pouty about NightHawk and I figured if you found someone else to hook up with it would take your mind off everything!" At least she wasn't trying to hide her interference in his non-existent love life.

"I was- _am -_ not pouty, and I don't need to go speed dating. I've never even been speed dating! And weren't you the one telling me that if I had a crush on NightHawk, which I don't, it was fine and we could work?" She let out an exasperated sound.

"Yes, I was, and I still believe that. But you don't, and I know that you'll never make a move on him yourself. I would try and set you two up, but I don't exactly have an easy way to get in contact with him–"

"You could throw yourself into traffic." He interrupted.

"–So I figured this was the next best thing!" She finished excitedly. He sighed. Why? Why did she do these things to him? He'd have to remind himself to never give Pam access to his e-mail accounts ever again.

"I'm not going, you know that right?" He said. He scrunched his nose. Ugh, what was that smell?

"Yes, you are. You'll go even if I have to drag you there–" His eyes widened.

"Pam, I have to go."

"Oh no, you aren't getting out of this. You're going–"

"MY BISCUITS ARE BURNING PAM, I GOTTA GO!" And he wasn't lying either, as evident by his smoke alarm going off right after he hung up. He groaned. There goes his good day.  
  
  


Friday evening rolled around and Edward was lazing on his couch watching reruns on TV when his doorbell rang. He ignored it. It rang again and he groaned. Who would be visiting him at- he glanced at the clock -6:30? The bell rang once more and he sat up, shuffling to the door. When he opened it he was surprised to see Pam wearing a blue dress and heels, her short brown hair curled neatly around her face. She gaped when she saw him. 

"What are you wearing?" She asked. He glanced down at his striped pajama pants and a wrinkled t-shirt.

"Uh, my comfy clothes?" He replied, confused.

"For dating? I know you don't wanna do it but, come on, can't you at least put on some jeans?" He jerked.

"THAT'S TONIGHT?" He exclaimed.

"You forgot?" He didn't answer, turning away from the door and running across the house to his bedroom, riffling through his dresser for a nice pair of pants and a dress shirt. He heard the front door close, Pam appearing in his room a moment later, watching him rush around in vague amusement. He ignored her, buttoning up his shirt and pulling on some socks.

"What time does it start?" He asked as he looked for a nice pair of shoes in his closet.

"Well, it started at 6:00 but doesn't end until 8:30. Also, I gotta say, for a guy who wasn't interested in this you seem pretty worried about looking nice." He rolled his eyes, putting on the brown dress shoes he found with one hand and brushing out his hair with the other.

"I'm already going to make a fool of myself, I might as well look good while I do it."

"Ed, you're not gonna make a fool of yourself. It'll be fun!"

"An absolute blast." He remarked dryly, grinning. She held out her arm.

"Shall we, good sir?" He hooked his arm with hers with a laugh and the two left in Pam's car. What could go wrong?  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Oh, man. Oh man, so much could go wrong. This was so _awkward_. He gave the man across from him an uneasy smile, taking a sip of his water for the eleventh time in the past minute. He was a handsome man with dark skin and black hair that flowed in elegant curls over his ears. His eyes were a warm brown, half-lidded and soft. Indeed, he was a good looking man, and Edward found himself sitting stiffly across from him, tapping his foot rapidly under the table. 

"So, what do you like to do for fun?" The man asked suddenly. Edward coughed. 

"Y'know... drink coffee, watch movies... stuff like that."

"I love coffee!"

"Oh, wow, we have so much in common." Edward laughed nervously.

"What kind of movies do you like to watch?"The man asked.

"Uh, action, sci-fi, fast-paced stuff like that." The man nodded, taking a sip of water. Edward fidgeted.

"I'm a western film type of guy myself. Sometimes I like to watch scary movies, too. Did you hear about the new horror film coming out? Looks freaky." He started talking about the movie, something about axes and centipedes. Edward glanced across the room to Pam, who was mouthing "You're doing great" to him while talking to a couple of people near the back of the room. He rolled his eyes.

"I know right? It's so cheesy!" He snapped back to the man, who thought he was rolling his eyes in response to something he said. He just nodded along. Finally, the timer went off and he bid him goodbye, walking across the room where a table with paper cups and water sat. He grabbed a cup, glaring weakly when Pam came up next to him.

"Why so grumpy? You were doing great!" He sighed.

"I don't know, Pam, I'm just..." He glanced around nervously. She laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you want to go home?" She asked. Did he? He wasn't sure, honestly. He was out of his element here, for sure, but he hadn't thought about the hero all night. Maybe Pam was right and he did need to find someone else to be with so he could focus on something other than work, villainous activities, and the hero. Taking a steadying breath, he looked up at Pam with a small smile.

"No, we can stay." She still looked unsure. He patted her hand. 

"Really Pam, I'm just not used to this. We can stay. Two more tables?" She said nothing for a moment but eventually nodded, returning his smile.

"Yeah, if you're sure. If you need me I'm right across the room." He nodded and she turned, going back to talk with some of the people who were just standing around chit-chatting. Edward smoothed out his shirt, patting his cheeks before turning to the tables. Back to the fray.  
  
  


The next table was better; Still awkward, but the man talked enough for the both of them so all Edward had to do was smile and nod. The guy was pretty cute, too. Long black hair, deep blue eyes, and deep tanned skin. He did his best to open up and enjoy himself, succeeding somewhat, he thought. The man, Damian, ended up giving Edward his number, much to his surprise, and he could see Pam giving him a thumbs up from the corner of his eyes. He blushed, realizing as he moved towards the next table that he hadn't given Damian his number in return. He groaned, turning to apologize when he noticed the man wasn't there. Looking around Edward saw him leaving through the front door. He gestured to Pam that he was stepping out for a minute and followed Damian. Outside, Edward caught sight of Damian as the man slipped into the alleyway next to the building. Edward frowned. Where was this guy going? He entered the alley cautiously, a bad feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. Further ahead was Damian, who'd turned to face him, looking surprised. 

"Edward, right?" Edward rubbed the back of his neck nervously, nodding.

"Uh, heh, hi. Sorry, I just– I never gave you my number." Damian's expression lightened, a smirk on his face. Edward wrote his number down and handed it to him, saying goodnight as Damian left down the alley and out of sight. He let out a relieved sigh. He did it! He gave someone his number! Wow... Smiling, Edward turned to go back to do one last table when he bumped hard into someone. He stumbled back, about to apologize when alarms started going off in his head. Looking up, the large man in front of him grinned, stepping forward threateningly. Edward backed up, reaching to his back pocket to grab his pocketknife when two people grabbed his arms from behind. He cursed himself for not hearing them sneak up behind him, struggling to break free of their grip. The man in front of him reached around and grabbed Edwards pocketknife, flipping the blade out with a smirk. Edward glowered.

"If you're looking for money you'll be disappointed." He said. He needed to find a way out of this. He flexed his fingers. The man chuckled deeply, an unpleasant sound.

"We'll see about that. Hold 'im still." The hands holding his arms tightened painfully as the man stepped forward. Edward huffed. _This_ is what he got for speed dating.


	4. In Which The Villain Falls Harder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward beats up some muggers, NightHawk swoops in to save the day, Damian runs off, and Edward wants ice cream.

Edward struggled in the men's grips, shoes scraping against the concrete as he was dragged further into the alley. The burly man held the knife at Edward's throat, forcing him to keep still as his pockets were patted down. He growled low in his throat.

"Didn't your parents tell you to keep your hands to your _self_?" He bit out. One of the greasy thugs holding him snickered.

"Did your parents ever tell ya not to talk back to someone holding a knife to yer throat?" Touché.

"Look, fella's, we can do this one of two ways; The Easy Way or the Hard Way." The burly man quirked a thick brow.

"Eh? An' what's that?" Edward smirked.

"Easy Way; You let me go and we all forget this ever happened. Hard Way; I kick your butt's so hard your grandchildren will have a limp." The three thugs exchanged glances during which time Edward took the opportunity to kick out behind him, striking one of the men in the knees causing them to fall to the ground, wailing. The burly thug reared back in surprise, taking the knife with him. Edward ripped his arm free of the remaining thugs' grip, ducking down to dodge a punch to the face and kneeing the guy in the stomach. The burly thug struck out, having regained his composure quickly and ran at Edward. He was a lot faster than he looked and Edward had to duck down to avoid a fist to the face. Edward moved, getting behind the thug and jamming his elbow into the back of his meaty neck, sending the man down hard. Edward was about to deal a final kick to the man's back when a shout caught his attention and he looked up to see Damian, who was being held by a fourth thug, a small gun pressed up against his side. This thug must have been at the other end of the alley as lookout or something.

"Found him walkin' out the alley. Back off tough guy. Hate to ruin this nice shirt'a his." Damian hissed as the gun was jabbed further into his skin. Edward stood, thinking. This was new to him; Not getting mugged or fighting, but having another person thrown into the mix that he was expected to _save_. He was the villain, the no-good crook; He didn't save people, NightHawk did. But NightHawk wasn't here, and neither was Antennes. There was only Edward. Eyebrows knitted together Edward started coming up with a plan. Step one: Get the gun away from the string-bean of a man that was holding it. Step two: Wing it and hope for the best. He held his hands up in a sign of peace and moved forward slowly, trying to get as close to the guy as possible to grab the gun. Could he do it without Damian getting hurt? What if he was too slow and the thug pulled the trigger while it was still pressed up to Damian? His palms grew sweaty. He glanced at the gun and his eyes widened, noticing the thugs finger leave the trigger for a moment. Without another thought he lunged and swung at the thug, missing his crooked nose by inches, but he wasn't trying to hit them anyway. He unleashed a bright flash of light, not quite a flame, blinding them and causing them to fall back, dropping the gun and releasing Damian, who ran away and out of the alley without looking back. Wow, how charming of him to leave Edward in the middle of this dank alley full of criminals. The guy wasn't even gonna stay and cheer him on? Whatever. He turned his attention back to the four sleezebags, about to knock them all over the head a few more times for ruining his evening when a strong pair of arms wrapped around him from behind and lifted him to the rooftop above. What the? Edward turned his head to get a look at whoever dared to invade his bubble and promptly froze. It was NightHawk, his blond hair flying wildly in the breeze as they flew up into the air, his strong arms keeping Edward pressed firmly against the hero's chest as they landed with surprising grace on the rooftop. NightHawk released Edward then, who pointedly ignored the twinge of disappointment in his chest in favor of turning towards the hero, confused. Where the heck had he even come from?

"Are you alright?" NightHawk asked, eyes raking over Edward's body looking for injuries. Edward squirmed, face heating despite himself. Good Gods, he didn't need the hero to undress him with his eyes. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." He clipped. NightHawk finally met his eyes with a nod.

"...Good. You know, you really shouldn't go around looking for fights. You could get yourself hurt." _What?_

"I–! Those guys attacked _me_ , not the other way around. I was enjoying a nice evening, minding my own business, when those guys tried to mug me! I gave them what they deserved; A grand butt-kicking." Edward couldn't believe the nerve of this guy! NightHawk blinked owlishly.

"O-oh, I'm sorry, I thought–! It's just that a lot of people try going out and finding people to beat up, acting like vigilantes. They usually have the best intentions but then they get themselves in real trouble, so I try to help them and tell them to stop but they never _listen_ and that's what I thought _you_ were doing because you were really good at fighting, so I guess I assumed you were a vigilante too–" Edward's eyes widened, taken aback by the hero's praise and sudden word vomit session. Did NightHawk _ramble_ when he was nervous? He never knew that. It was kind of adorable, but it was also becoming a bit much. He put a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Breath, buddy. Look, it's fine, water under the bridge."

"Really?" NightHawk said, wide-eyed and cheeks pink.

"Y-yeah. Now, do you mind, uh...." Edward glanced over the side of the roof cautiously, chest tightening when he saw how far down the ground was. The hero got the message, stepping forward towards Edward before pausing.

"Uh, is it ok if I pick you up again? Or you can just grab onto my arm." The thought of only having NightHawks arm to hold on to while plummeting towards the alley sent a shiver up Edward's spine.

"Uh, picking up is fine. I guess." NightHawk nodded and grabbed Edward, hooking one arm under his knees while using the other to hold Edward securely under his back, pulling him tightly to the hero's chest. Edward's heart fluttered for multiple reasons when NightHawk jumped off the roof, his eyes squeezing shut. He took a deep breath, trying to focus on the smell of...what was that? Cologne and...cleaning detergent? Smelt nice. With a slight jerk, they landed on the ground, but Edward kept his eyes firmly shut, jaw clenched. He _hated_ heights. NightHawk didn't say anything, just carried Edward down the alley to the sidewalk, where a few civilians stared at him in awe. Edward cracked his eyes open then, realizing that he'd unconsciously latched his arms around Nighthawk's neck and scrambling to let go. The hero set him down with a small smile.

"Stay safe, uh...?"

"Edward." He responded breathlessly.

"Right. Have a good night, Edward." With that, NightHawk was gone, vanishing into the night. Edward didn't move, feet firmly planted to the ground as he stared at the spot where NightHawk had been standing, feeling dazed. It wasn't until Pam came running up, yelling at him about abandoning her and making her worry that he finally moved, asking if he could stay at her place for the night. She agreed, and the two left quickly. In her car Edward stared at the paper he'd pulled out of his pocket, thinking that the chances of Damian calling him were probably slim. He sighed dejectedly. He needed ice cream.


	5. Creepy, Sleazy, Slimy Scumbag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward gets a phone call, gets smoke blown into his face, and storms off. Relationships really don't seem to work well for him.

Turns out Edward had more time than he thought as he sat in the cafe, alone, at 2:30. When he'd first arrived a few minutes late thanks to Pam trying to 'fix his hair', he'd felt bad, ready to apologize to Damian until he found out the man wasn't there yet. No big deal, after all, Edward had been running late too. He sat at a table outside, letting the server know he was expecting someone and ordering a small coffee. He waited five minutes, texted Damian after ten, called after fifteen, and was tapping his fingers in annoyance after twenty. Now he was getting ready to leave, having already paid for his drink with red cheeks while the server looked at him in pity, when in came Damian strutting like he owned the place, wearing a leather jacket, dark shirt and jeans, his hair tied back in a pony tail. Edward glared at him sharply when the man waved, smirking.

"Hey doll, where you going?" Damian asked. Did he just call Edward _'doll'_? No thanks.

"I'm leaving. Thanks _so much_ for the incredible date. I'm sure I'll remember it for years to come!" Damian grabbed his arm, sighing.

"Look, I lost track of time."

"I texted and called you, you never answered. You're half-an-hour late! I've just been sitting here twiddling my thumbs and all you have to say is you lost track of time?" Damian frowned.

"I said I'm sorry! Look, can we start over?" Edward pulled his arm out of the man's grip, scowling, and sat down at the table with his arms crossed. Damian sat down across from him, pulling something out of his coat pocket. It was a small, heart-shaped box of chocolates wrapped with a red bow. Edward quirked a brow as Damian handed it to him.

"For being late," Damian said as a way of explanation. Edward nodded. Thats... weird. This was weird right?

"Uh, thanks. So, what were you doing that made you lose track of time so badly?" Damian waved a hand.

"Just running errands. So what kind of stuff do you like to do?" Damian asked quickly. Edward furrowed his brow.

"Um... I don't know. I like watching movies, baking, and... drawing, I guess...." Damian nodded and glanced over Edward's shoulder distractedly. Ok, this guy was starting to tick him off.

"Nice. You like scary movies?" Edward nodded, finally a question that didn't feel weird!

"Yeah, I do actually."

"You ever cuddle up with anyone and watch them?"

"Mm, can't say I've ever done that before," Edward answered honestly.

"Wanna do it with me?" Damian leaned in, smirking. And there we go. It was back to weird. Edward shifted uncomfortably.

"Heh, I'll pass, thanks." What was _with_ this guy? Damian shrugged and leaned back.

"So, you were pretty impressive in that alley last night." Edward folded his arms.

"Yeah, especially when I saved your butt." Damian rolled his eyes. _Really?_

"How long are you gonna hold that over my head, huh?"

"Uh, maybe until I get a simple ' _thank you_ '?"

" _Thank you_. There, y'happy now?" Ok, this guy was kind of a jerk. And no, he wasn't happy. Damian pulled a cigaret pack out of his jacket pocket, offering one to Edward who shook his head. Damian shrugged and lit up, taking a drag and blowing smoke out of his nose. Edward coughed. _Gross_.

"That was a pretty crazy thing you did, with the flashing light. What was that?" Edward quirked a brow.

"Flashing light?"

"Y'know, when you were fighting that guy in the alley. There was the flash that blinded the guy." Oh, Edward remembered now. Crap, think of something!

"Uh, yeah! It was a... flash bomb." He winced. Flash bomb? Seriously? Damian stared at him.

"Flash bomb?" No going back now.

"Yup! Very useful, as you saw. Heh." Damian took another drag, a strange look in his eye.

"Guess so...."

A server came up, asking if they needed anything and telling Damian there was no smoking allowed. Edward politely told the server no, he didn't need anything. Damian shook his head, too. The server nodded with a smile and walked off as Damian crushed his bud with a roll of his eyes, staring after the server a little too closely, not even bothering to hide it from Edward. Alright, you know what? That's it. He didn't need this. He stood up, ignoring Damian's shout as he stalked off. The man ran up behind him and had the gall to ask what Edwards problem was.

"You want to know my problem? It's that you're a creepy, sleazy, _slimy_ scumbag who doesn't even deserve to be stuck to the bottom of my shoe. Find someone else to be your arm candy or whatever it is you're looking for." Edward waved goodbye, walking away again. Damian reached out and grabbed Edward's wrist tightly, yanking him back. Oh heck no. Edward flipped around and grabbed the guy by his shirt collar, lifting him easily until the man was on his tip-toes, and scowled at him.

"Touch me again and I'll whoop you into next week. Seriously, try it. Make my day." He kept his burning gaze locked with Damian's until the man seemed to deflate a bit, backing down, at which time Edward dropped him and turned again down the sidewalk. He huffed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Damian had seemed decent enough last night, what the heck happened? Why did he always have such terrible luck with relationships?


	6. A Date as a Walk in the Park (Literally)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Micheal is tired, Damian is rude, Edward feeds popcorn to pigeons, the day ends on a pretty good note.

Micheal yawned again as he sat down inside the cafe, ordering a large coffee and a croissant and struggling to wake himself up fully. He'd had a long night as NightHawk patrolling the streets taking down petty criminals, and was exhausted despite sleeping in late. He was used to this, though; Long nights were nothing new to him. Still, he never felt any better in the morning. He glanced up when the chime on the cafe door rang out and perked when he saw who walked in. It was the man from last night, the one that had taken out those muggers, his brown hair fluffy and messy, no longer slicked back like it had been when Micheal- or rather NightHawk- had first met him. He was wearing a nice but casual outfit, blue button-up tucked into his jeans and sleeves rolled up. Micheal watched him talk with a server and look around before going outside and sitting at a table, waiting. Micheal looked away. He didn't want to spy on the guy. It was weird to see the man again, though he wasn't sure why. Maybe just because he was a civilian now, too. He drank his coffee, scrolling through his phone reading articles and slowly but surely waking up. Ugh, another complaint about NightHawk, he rolled his eyes. People really didn't appreciate what he did for them. He glanced again to the guy outside, who was still sitting alone and looking rather upset. Had he been expecting someone? Had he been stood-up? Micheal frowned. It was none of his business, but... still, he stuck around the cafe for a little longer, ordering another croissant. The croissants here were _really_ good. The next time he glanced out he saw another man at the table, gripping _(what was his name again? Edward?)_ by the arm. His brow furrowed. This guy seemed like trouble. Edward jerked away and the two sat down, neither looking very happy. The man with the long black hair seemed to ask questions distractedly while Edward answered, looking uncomfortable, and leaned in with a smirk that Micheal could tell meant nothing good. He was right as Edward shied away, shuffling in his seat. A server came out, Edward shaking his head at them and the other man staring the server up and down as they walked away. Ugh, he was one of _those_ guys. Edward didn't seem to appreciate it either as he suddenly stood up and walked away. Good for him.

But the man from the table followed, looking upset, and the two moved away from Micheal's sight. Should he mind his own business? Perhaps. Was he spying on them? Technically. But he had a _bad_ feeling about that guy. He's seen plenty of people just like that and things never ended well for people around them when they became upset or angry. He may be just Micheal right now, but that didn't mean he couldn't help someone who needed it. He stood up, paying at the counter quickly before stepping out and looking in the direction the two men had walked off. He spotted them on the other side of the street, the sleazy guy on the ground and Edward yelling at him before turning and walking off. Maybe this guy didn't need help after all. Or, maybe he did, as the creep got up, looking furious and about to chase after Edward. Without a second thought, Micheal ran across the street and grabbed the man by the back of his shirt, tossing him into an alley where he collided with a dumpster. Hah! Talk about taking out the trash! He should write that one down. Micheal turned and went running after Edward when something knocked him onto his back hard, and he opened his eyes only to the see the most lovely pair of brown staring widely back at him. He gapped, taking in the different tones of brown that he never even knew existed, and realizing belatedly that the eyes belonged to Edward, who for some reason had pinned Micheal to the ground. He blushed as Edward scrambled to get off of him.

"Why were you following me?" Edward asked, glaring uncertainly at Micheal.

"I– Sorry, I just.... I had noticed the way that guy was treating you and he seemed like trouble and then I saw him about to chase you so I stopped him because I didn't know what he would do–" He cut himself off before he could descend into nervous rambling, feeling sheepish. Great, he was _already_ embarrassing himself. Edward looked at him strangely but was no longer glaring. He looked rather embarrassed.

"Oh. Sorry for, uh, knocking you down, then. And thanks for trying to help, but I can handle myself." Micheal blinked.

"Oh I'm certain you can, but you shouldn't have to deal with that stuff alone." He said matter-of-factly. He remembered seeing how Edward had taken out those muggers and knew that the man was no pushover. It had been pretty impressive, actually, seeing how swiftly he'd taken those men down. Edward stared at him, cheeks reddening, and Micheal swallowed thickly. Wow, this man was pretty... well, _pretty_. Edward held out a tanned hand and Micheal grabbed it, pulling himself back to his feet. Edward shuffled.

"So, uh... thanks, then.... See you 'round." He moved slowly, inching away as if he didn't really want to leave. Micheal held out a hand

"Wait, maybe we should stick together? That guy might come after me since I did sorta throw him into the garbage." Micheal wasn't really worried about that guy, but despite how ridiculous it felt, he really didn't want Edward to walk away yet. Edward's expression lightened.

"Yeah, you probably should stay with me, then." Micheal's chest fluttered as the two walked down the street side by side. They didn't talk much, just made their way to the park and strolled down the trails, taking in the sights and sounds of nature. Micheal was surprised, to be honest; He usually didn't feel this comfortable with people he just met, but something about Edward felt so familiar. It was strange in a good way. They ended up buying two bags of popcorn and sitting at a bench, making small talk about random things while eating. Micheal snorted as Edward went over the disastrous speed dating event, nodding along when it got to the part about NightHawk. He already knew this part, of course, but Edward didn't know that. Micheal was surprised that even though Edward was slightly peeved about NightHawk swooping in, he still showed appreciation and respect for him. Most times when people didn't like something NightHawk had done they didn't shy away from saying so, even right to his face. It came with the job, he knew, but it didn't make it easier to listen to. To hear the way Edward spoke about Micheals hero persona was... nice, even if Edward didn't realize it. They eventually left the park and stopped at the side of the street.

"Uh, I should probably get going. My friend's been texting me nonstop for five minutes and if I don't get back to her she'll blow a gasket." Edward said with a grin, glancing up at Micheal nervously.

"So, do you– I mean, I had fun today, and I don't know if you'd like to... do this again?" Micheals eyes widened. Woah, wait, really? Edward backtracked at Micheal's expression, wincing.

"Sorry, sorry! We don't have to, obviously." Micheal shook his head, mouth feeling glued shut. _Say something, stupid!_

"No! No, I'd love to. I had fun too."

"Really?" Edward asked, looking surprised

"Yeah! We could meet up again on Saturday if you're free?" Edward nodded, still looking stunned.

"Yeah, Saturday is work. I mean goods. I mean– ugh! Saturday is great." Micheal held in a laugh. That was adorable.

"Great! Here, we can exchange numbers." Once they'd made sure the numbers were put into each other's phones correctly they waved goodbye, splitting up and walking off. Micheal sighed, feeling giddy. Somehow he managed to get a date, who would have thought?! Carla was gonna be so proud.


	7. Duty Calls (And You Can't Hang Up)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Micheal and Edward can't stop smiling, Antennes sets a car on fire, and NightHawk really need's a heating pad.

Edward smiled as he unlocked the door to his house, humming a random tune and swinging his hips. He shut the door, blindly tossed his keys on the table, and walked right past Pam who was sitting on his couch to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water.

"Well? Spill! How did it go? Was Damian nice? Was he hot? He'd looked kinda hot when I saw him but I wasn't up close, so I don't know." Edward sighed contentedly as he flopped next to Pam, a goofy grin on his face. Pam smiled.

"That good, huh?"

"I didn't go on a date with Damian. Or, I did, if you'd call it a date, but he turned out to be a giant jerk." Pam's brows shot up, gasping.

"What?! Then what's up with you? And where were you this whole time?" He shut his eyes, taking a long sip of water.

"I was in the park with Micheal."

"Ok, now who's Micheal? How many dates did you have?"

"Just one if you ask me. He helped put Damian in his place, and then we walked to the park and ate popcorn, and he told me about the time he accidentally dyed his hair green– Oh, and Pam, you should have heard his laugh!" Pam grinned widely.

"Oh my gosh! That's amazing; I'm so happy for you! Are you going to see him again?" Edward nodded shyly.

"On Saturday." Pam punched him in the shoulder.

"Well look at you! I told you you could do it! Did he like your hair by the way? I told you that you should wear it naturally more often instead of soaking it in hair gel, it's so fluffy now!"

"He didn't say anything about my hair."

"He probably loved it."

Micheal flopped onto his bed, burying his face in his pillow. He hadn't had any plans today, had figured it was going to be pretty quiet and boring, but boy was he wrong. He couldn't stop thinking about Edward or his soft brown eyes, or his tanned skin, or how he fed more of his popcorn to the pigeons than himself, or the way his hair fell just over his eyes while he talked animatedly. Micheal sighed, smiling softly. What a day. He turned over when the phone rang, answering it quickly.

"Hello? Oh, Carla, hi. Did you get my text? Yeah, it was amazing." He smiled widely. He stayed quiet as his friend hounded him with questions, wincing at how fast she asked them. Geez, take a breath!

"Yeah, on Saturday. Oh, uh, I don't know. I thought maybe we'll go to dinner or something? I can ask him what he'd like to do." He listened as Carla made it very clear that she had never in a million years expected Micheal to go out on a date, let alone two. That was Carla for you, blunt as a spoon. He chuckled awkwardly.

"Yeah, that makes two of us. Wha– Carla! I don't–! Ugh...Yes... he was cute...Oh shut up!"

Micheal hung up shortly after that, moving to the basement of his house to the hidden room where he kept his hero outfit. He would have to go out and patrol the city for a while, make sure there was no trouble. He grunted as he pulled off his shirt, thinking. He realized that he hadn't seen or heard anything from Antennes and was now wondering what the villain was up to. He'd never pulled anything too bad before, but his sudden absence was worrying. Maybe he was getting ready to do something big? Whatever it was, NightHawk would be ready. He pulled on his orange gloves and brown boots, and after a brief hesitation, he laid the blue cape over his shoulders and fastened it. He wasn't sure exactly why he wore the cape; They usually weren't his style, actually. But the cape felt nice, thick and heavy like a weighted blanket. Comforting, and he had to admit that it smelt kind of nice, too. Whatever, he didn't need to explain himself. Pulling down his mask Micheal left through the secret exit and ran off into the night. Duty calls.

Edward adjusted the mask, thinking hard about what he should do. Pam had mentioned that he hadn't done anything as Antennes and that he should try going out again lest the hero becomes suspicious. He agreed, after all, it kinda made sense, but there was still one problem; He didn't know _what_ he should do. Rob a bank? Eh, not really feeling it. Beat up some muggers and steal their stolen goods? That was an option. Steal a car? No...He glanced down at the street. Oh! He sprinted along the rooftops of the city, following the familiar man he'd seen walking down the sidewalk, grinning evilly. This was gonna be good.

He stopped, squatting low on the roof across from the apartment complex and watching as Damian grabbed something out of his car before entering one of the apartments, pulling a handsome young man behind him with a sly grin. Look at that, he found another himbo to hook up with. How nice. Antennes waited until the two entered the apartment before jumping down and creeping into the parking lot towards Damian's car. It was nice; Sleek black with tinted windows, exactly the kind of car you'd expect someone like Damian to drive. Such a shame he wouldn't be driving it much longer, Antennes chuckled as he lit a bright flame in the palm of his hand.

NightHawk sighed from his perch on a random statue in the park, glancing around at the quiet surroundings. Nothing much was happening tonight, oddly enough. The streets were mostly empty, the sidewalks clear, even the back alleys didn't hold much action. He was about to turn in for the night and get some sleep when he smelt it. Fire. Running towards the smell NightHawk could see a billow of smoke rising up from a nearby apartment complex, and he ran faster, arriving at the scene seconds later. One of the cars was on fire, engulfed in raging flames. Many residents were already dialing 911 and gapping at the car. NightHawk cleared the area, keeping the people away from the vehicle and out of the way when firefighters arrived. While they put out the flames a man ran out with no shirt and a towel wrapped around his waist, and NightHawk's eyes narrowed in recognition; It was the guy who'd been with Edward. The man freaked out as he saw his car completely totaled and burnt to a warped husk of metal and plastic, the arm not holding up the towel flailing wildly. When he turned towards NightHawk, demanding to know who did this, the hero simply shrugged.

"Don't know. Sorry." He actually _did_ know, or at least had a hunch, but it was funny to see the jerk flip out even more. You get what you deserve, after all, and Micheal would say this guy definitely deserved to have his car set ablaze after treating Edward the way he did. Whether or not this was a 'heroic' thing to think was unimportant. With the fire put out and the residents all safely back in their homes, NightHawk left to see if he could find a certain villain mucking about nearby. Maybe he wasn't planning something after all. Maybe he just... took a few days off. Hey, it happens. Sure enough, he found Antennes doubled over in laughter just across the street, shoulders quaking as he gasped for air, completely unaware of Nighthawk's presence. The hero forced himself not to smile or laugh along with the contagious sound, clearing his throat. Antennes flinched, spinning around with wide and wet eyes, and Nighthawk's chest most certainly did not tighten at the sight. He leveled his best glare, though he could already tell it was a bit weak. Antennes rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on, that was funny! Did you see the way he ran out? Oh, Gods, you couldn't pay to see something funnier!" Ok, that was pretty funny. No! He was the hero! Even if he kind of wanted to shake Antennes' hand and thank him for his service, it was his job to keep the villain in check. If he didn't, who knew what would happen? Maybe he'd start setting fire to other random cars. Antennes stared at him.

"Are you really gonna fight me over this? You know he deserved it!"

"I don't know anything about that man." NightHawk half-lied. Technically he _didn't_ know anything about the guy, he just knew enough not to like him.

"Ok, fine. Come on, put 'em up." Antennes groaned, raising his fists. NightHawk obliged, moving forward at break-neck speed and throwing a fierce punch towards Antennes' jaw. The villain ducked, getting behind the hero and kicking him in the back. NightHawk faltered but didn't fall, using the forward momentum to his advantage and spinning himself around, his fist following his movement and landing hard in Antennes' gut. The man huffed, sucking in a ragged breath.

"Nice one." He said breathlessly, sending a blast of fire at Nighthawk's feet. The hero flipped back, landing with one leg outstretched to stabilize him and holding up an arm to shield his face from the heat. When he next looked up, the rooftop was clear of any sign of Antennes. NightHawk sighed in relief. He didn't really want to fight the villain anyway, though he'd never admit that to anyone. He stretched, cracking his back with a moan. A heating pad was _definitely_ in his future.


	8. It's Going To Be A Bad Day, I Know It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward gets cornered by a Karen, Micheal gets shouted at, and there's a pothole.

You know those days where you wake up and can just _tell_ it's going to be a bad day? Yeah, that's how Micheal felt when he got up, his back aching and stiff and his eyelids heavy. He glared at the heating pad that lay discarded next to his bed, because it had clearly not done its job, and pulled off his shirt. Whatever. He took a quick shower, getting soap in his eyes in the process, realized too late that there was no towel in the bathroom, and having to run naked, freezing, to his bedroom to get dressed, where he tripped over the aforementioned heating pad and crashed to the ground. That was around the time he glanced at the clock and cursed loudly. He was late for work! He scrambled, getting dressed before grabbing his phone and keys and running to his car, speeding towards work as fast as the law would allow.

"What happened to your chin?" Carla asked when he finally showed up, sitting at his desk.

"Tripped." He clipped.

"Ah. And your clothes?" He looked down, now noticing that he was only wearing one sock and his shirt was inside out.

"...It was a long night."  
  
  
  


Edward smiled shakily at the woman in front of him who was glaring daggers while he took her order. She had not been very pleased to hear the vegan options served at the restaurant and made _certain_ to let Edward know this as if he could magically add new meals to the menu that she would like better. He was two seconds away from lighting her hair on fire when she _finally_ found something else that was suitable for her, ordering it with a scrunched nose.

"Right away, ma'am." Edward forced out politely, turning on his heels and rolling his eyes so hard he thought he might have spotted his brain. Gods, it was too early for these kinds of customers. Unfortunately, no one told _them_ that, because Edward encountered three more customers just like that and it had only been two hours. He groaned. It was gonna be a long day.  
  
  
  


"I'm sorry to hear that, sir. What can–" Micheal bit back a groan as the man on the line started yelling again.

"Of course. I'm sorry about that, sir. I can transfer you to someone who can– Yes, I know you were transferred to me, but I, unfortunately, cannot assist you. However, I can transfer you to–" He pulled the phone away from his ear as the man yelled louder, wincing. Across from him in the next cubical he could see Carla send an apologetic glance his way. He gave her a weak smile in return, putting the phone back and finally managing to transfer the man. He hung up, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Gods he was tired. He didn't think he could do these late nights anymore.

"You good?" Carla asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, fine. Just tired." She snorted.

"You're always tired, Old man."

"I'm only two years older than you."

"Still older." Their conversation ended when her phone rang. He sighed, documenting the call he just had and waiting for the phone to ring again.  
  
  
  


"AND ANOTHER THING—!" Edward winced at the volume of which the woman was yelling, fairly certain his ears were bleeding. She could probably get a job as a professional police siren with a voice like that. She was screeching about the service and complaining about how Edward had not served her to her satisfaction. Edward was tempted to tell her just what he thought about her satisfaction but held back for the sake of keeping his job. He liked his job, it gave him money. She hollered and flailed and nearly smacked him over the head before the manager came out, attempting to calm her only for her to start yelling at _them_ , saying that Edward was a very impolite man and should be fired. The manager spent the next fifteen minutes talking her down and offering her a free dessert for next time, apologizing profusely and promising to give Edward a stern talking to. Edward could feel everyone, including the other customers, sigh in relief when she left. Thank goodness that was over. The manager patted his shoulder.

"You can go on break if you want. It's still a few minutes early, but you look like crap."

"Thanks for the confidence boost." They rolled their eyes.

"Go on break before I change my mind." He did, feeling too worn out to argue. Stepping outside he pulled out his phone and held a hesitant finger over his messages before clicking it and sending a text to Micheal. He doubted he'd get anything back– Oh, hey, a response! He texts back, saying he was on break and asking how Micheal's day was going. Micheal responded saying that his day was... not going great. At least Edward wasn't alone then. Micheal texted again that he was excited for Saturday, and Edward blushed, agreeing. A few minutes of back and forth later Edward had to get back to work, saying bye to Micheal and putting his phone away. His day suddenly felt just a little less crappy.  
  
  


  
Micheal smiled as he put away his phone and finished typing on his computer. Carla glanced at him slyly.

"Ohhh, was that _Edward_?" She said in a sing-song tone. He blushed and rolled his eyes.

"Maybe." He continued typing, pointedly ignoring her as she sang something about Micheal and Edward sitting in a tree.

"So what's he like?" He groaned.

"We're supposed to be working."

"Hey, I don't hear the phones ringing, and I don't have anything to write out. Come on, you can answer this quickly!" He laid his head on the keyboard.

"What do you want to know?" He asked dully. She smiled.

"Is he hot? What's he look like? What's his personality like? How did you meet?" She questioned rapidly. His eyes widened, thinking.

"Uh, I mean," He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yeah... he's pretty hot. He's got this soft looking hair, and his eyes are, wow, this really pretty brown. I don't know much about his personality yet, but he's nice and funny. And we met when I saw him getting harassed by, I don't know, I guess it was his date? They didn't seem to know each other very well but that man had been very rude." Micheal frowned as he remembered how uncomfortable Edward had looked while with that man. Carla hummed.

"He _does_ sound hot. And cute. Good combination, you've got good taste." Micheal rubbed his neck with a small chuckle.

"Heh, thanks."  
  
  
  


Edward waved goodbye to his co-workers as he left the restaurant and walked down the street. He cracked his neck, sighing in relief as he did so. Man, today was rough. Not the worst day he's ever had, but not a good day either. He couldn't wait to get back home, curl up in a blanket, and pass out. He was about two blocks away from his house when he felt it, a sudden vibration shaking the ground. He stopped, looking around in confusion. Was it an earthquake? Another vibration ripped through the street so intensely that it sent Edward falling to his knees, eyes squeezed shut as he struggled not to fall the rest of the way. Around him, he could hear people screaming and shouting, and a car skid off in the distance. What the heck was happening? The vibration slowed to a light rumble and Edward stood and ran down the street quickly. He turned the corner, passing a large group of people who were running the opposite direction, and froze in his tracks. _'Are you kidding me?'_ He thought as he stared at the lanky man who was standing in the middle of the street laughing maniacally, an odd-looking drilling machine in his arms. How was he even carrying it, he looked like a strong breeze would blow him away. Typically Edward would leave this to the hero to take care of, because, well, he's a villain himself. There wasn't a 'villain brotherhood' or anything, it just wasn't his job to take care of these guys. However this string bean was currently drilling a very large hole in front of Edwards house, and that was simply not gonna fly. Edward was about to go around and enter his house from the back so he could put on his suit when NightHawk showed up, tackling the lanky villain to the ground, the asphalt cracking where he pinned them. The villain let out a pretty lame yell of anger, punching uselessly at the hero's chest. Edward winced. Geez, this was just embarrassing. A few minutes later the kid was being led off in handcuffs by police, yelling profanities at NightHawk who had his back turned to them and was assuring citizens that the villain was taken care of and the hole in the street would be fixed soon. Edward sighed. What was another pothole, right?


	9. Sandwiches and Hot Sauce Shops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner at a sandwich shop, bookstores, and hot sauce. Can someone get Micheal some water, please?

"Come on, let me see!" Pam yelled from outside the bathroom door. Edward rolled his eyes with a grin as he finished tucking in his shirt, smoothing it out and nodding in a satisfied way. He thought he looked pretty good having put on the nicest clothes he could find that weren't "too casual or too fancy", per Pam's instruction. He unlocked the door and walked out, immediately being hounded by his friend as she circled him, humming.

"Ok, ok, not bad... wait." She stepped into the bathroom and grabbed his cologne, spraying a very... _generous_ cloud around him. He choked, waving her away as she smiled.

"Perfect!" She said. He coughed.

"I'm gonna end up knocking him out." She rolled her eyes.

"Knocking him out with your good looks maybe. You look great! You slicked your hair back again, though. I thought we talked about that." He pulled on his shoes.

"No, we didn't. Besides, I like my hair both ways, and tonight I wanted it slicked back." She sighed, grumbling under her breath as she put the cologne away. He grabbed his house keys and wallet, taking a deep breath. This was it, tonight was the night of his and Micheal's first date. He felt like his heart was gonna explode with how fast it was beating. Pam patted his back.

"You'll be great, just be yourself! And don't forget to have fun. But not _too_ much fun." She gave him a little wink. He blushed.

" _Pam_."

"Alright, alright! Go! Get outta here!"   
  
  
  
  


There were bees in his chest, he was, like, 94% sure of that. His palms were slick and he couldn't seem to stop his foot from tapping as he waited at the corner where he and Edward had agreed to meet. Deep breaths, come on. He fought villains and crooks every day and yet a single date had him about to pass out? He patted his cheeks. He could do this. It was four minutes to seven, seven being the agreed-upon time to meet. Glancing around Micheal tugged on his collar, trying to spot Edward in the crowd. It might still be a few minutes until he showed up. He focused on breathing, wiping his hands on his pants, and willing himself to stop sweating. He jumped when someone tapped him on the shoulder, turning around and coming face to face with Edward, who was dressed in a nice white shirt tucked into his pants, sleeves rolled up, his hair slicked back again.

"Hey! Nice to see you again." Edward smiled. Micheal grinned nervously.

"Nice to see you too! I've been looking forward to tonight." Edward's face heated a bit as he chuckled.

"Me too. So, what do you want to do?" Micheal blinked, smacking his forehead.

"Ah, stupid! I never texted you about what you wanted to do tonight, did I?" Edward shook his head.

"No, but that's fine. We could... go to eat somewhere?" Micheal nodded, feeling sheepish. He couldn't believe that he'd forgotten to text Edward. He'd just been busy this week and kept forgetting. Whatever, he'd make sure the rest of the night went well. They walked down the bustling street searching for a nice place to eat that didn't require a reservation. They found one eventually, a small sandwich shop that was less than half full. Micheal deflated a bit. He'd hoped to take Edward somewhere a bit nicer for tonight. Nothing over the top, but maybe a little classier than this. Edward however didn't seem deterred, happily sitting down at one of the booths and grabbing the plastic menu. Micheal followed suit, sitting across from him and shuffling a bit. He ordered a Reuben and iced tea while Edward got a classic turkey sandwich with water, the waitress humming and sauntering off. Edward fidgeted with his thumbs.

"You look nice tonight." Micheal tugged his sleeve.

"Heh, thanks. You look nice too." Edward grinned. Micheal straightened a bit, sniffing and suddenly letting out a sneeze. Ugh, what the heck?

"W-what's that smell?" He asked, grabbing a napkin. Edward buried his face in his hands.

"...My friend sprayed me with too much cologne before I left. I'm so sorry." He mumbled, face red. Micheal backtracked, stumbling over his words.

"N-no! It looks, I mean- ugh- smells really good! It's just–"

"A bit much?"

"Yeah. It's fine though. Really." Gods, he shouldn't have said anything. Stupid! The waitress came out with their drinks.

"Sandwiches'll be out soon." The two men nodded, sitting in silence for a moment. Micheal spoke up first.

"How was your week?" Edward took a sip of his water.

"Eh, it was ok. A bit rough. Yours?"

"I'd say it was the same; Rough. What do you do?" The two talked a bit about their jobs, the conversation steadily becoming lighter as it went on. By the time the food came out Micheal was laughing loudly at a story involving Edward's friend Pam and a blender.

"So then I'm coming home, right? And I hear this Gods-awful screeching coming from inside. I walked into the _living room_ of all places to find Pam holding a blender with no top on–" He stopped, laughing as he tried to finish the story.

"S-she's covered in what looks like chunky potato soup, and the blender is still on and just spraying food all over the ceiling. And she screams _'I can't turn it off!'_ " Micheal's shoulders shook, watching Edward flop over the table in laughter.

"How did you get it off?" Micheal asked. Edward threw his hands up, eyes wet.

"That's the best part. I just unplugged it! That's it! I swear Pam looked at me like I was the guy who invented the first wheel." The two chuckled, Edward wiping at his eyes as they ate. Micheal hummed. The night was starting to look up a bit at least. It hadn't started perfectly, but now he was feeling a lot more comfortable. He glanced down when a tomato slice fell from his sandwich and flopped onto his shirt. Great. Shouldn't have said anything.

"Here." He looked up to see Edward handing him a napkin.

"Thanks."   
  
  
  
  


After dinner, the two decided to walk around town a bit. Along the way Edward asked a few questions about Micheal, such as what his friends were like or what shops were his favorite. Micheal answered, asking more about Edward in return. It was nice, Edward thought, and a lot of fun. When Micheal revealed that he loved bookshops Edward eagerly led him the two blocks to the small bookstore he knew about, a hole-in-the-wall place that a lot of people forgot was even there. Edward didn't go there much himself, books weren't really his thing, but the way Micheal's eyes lit up was well worth it. They poked around there, Micheal buying a few books before they left and asking where Edward wanted to go next. He thought.

"There's this fun store that sells hot sauces. We could...go there?" Micheal nodded.

"Sure!"

It wasn't very busy when they arrived as the store would be closing soon, but the two looked around and laughed at some of the ridiculous bottles and names. One bottle was shaped like a skull and simply said 'hot sauce'. Micheal snorted, saying how anti-climactic it sounded.

"You boys wanna try a sample?" They turned and saw the owner with a bottle held up in one hand, a smirk on her pale face. Edward grinned, turning to Micheal who looked unsure but nodded. The owner smiled.

"Great! We got a bit of a challenge goin' on actually. See, this here is a new blend of spices we just got in, and we've been tryin' to see who can eat three crackers covered in the sauce without any water." Edward quirked a brow.

"Is there a prize?" Her smile grew sly.

"Hundred bucks, no foolin'."

"You're on!" Wow, who knew he'd end up making an easy hundred dollars tonight? Micheal shifted uneasily as the woman handed them each three crackers drizzled with a generous helping of hot sauce.

"Alright, rules are simple. Eat all three crackers and swallow, no water in between. No throwin' up either, or else no cash. Got it?" Micheal visibly gulped while Edward nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright, ready... go!" Edward ate all three crackers one after the other, chewing and swallowing in seconds with a smile. He smacked his lips. Mmm, a bit tingly. Nice. The owner's jaw dropped.

"...Earl, dish out the big buck, we got a winner!" Hah! That was easy. Edward _loved_ spicy food, more than most, and had a rather large tolerance to them. He turned when he heard Micheal wheeze, panicking when he saw his face was a bright red, sweating profusely and fanning himself with both hands. He'd only eaten one cracker, the others left untouched on the plate.

"Bring the water with you too, Earl!"

  
  
  
  
"I'm _so sorry_ , I forgot that not everyone can handle spicy food!" Edward apologized as Micheal guzzled his third water bottle, face still a little pink. The man gasped for breath, wiping his mouth with his sleeve and giving an uneasy smile.

"S' ok, I'll be fine." He rasped, mouth still feeling a bit numb. It really was fine, though Edward didn't seem to believe him by the looks of it. Micheal patted the man's shoulder.

"How about next time we catch a movie or something? No hot sauce or anything." Edward's eyes widened.

"Next time? As in, you want to... go on another date?" Micheal didn't like how surprised Edward looked. He smiled.

"Of course I do! It'll take more than spicy sauce to get rid of me. And tonight was a lot of fun, I'd like to do it again. That is if you want to." Edward nodded, the flabbergasted expression still on his face.

"Y-yeah! Yeah, I would."

"Great! Are you free again tomorrow?" The two left the shop, a hundred bucks in Edward's hand as they waved goodnight to the owner. They talked about what movie they'd see tomorrow night and exchanged increasingly ridiculous plans on how to sneak snacks into the theater as they walked towards Edwards home, laughing and snorting. When they arrived Edward turned and smiled at Micheal shyly.

"Thanks for walking me home. I... had a lot of fun tonight. Definitely the best date I've been on." Micheal's cheeks grew pink, rubbing his wrist.

"I'm glad! I had fun too. See you tomorrow then?" Edward smiled.

"Yup. I'll pick you up around... 8:00?"

"Sounds good." He stepped back off the steps leading to Edward's front door, heart-pounding, and body feeling alight with energy. He couldn't hide the goofy grin growing on his face as Edward took one last look back at him, waving as he closed the door. Micheal sighed, standing there for a moment before starting on his way home, feeling like he was walking on air. Yeah, tonight hadn't started perfect, but it sure had a pretty nice ending.


	10. Cue The Creepy Fog, Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A scary movie, a walk in the park, warm hand's, and... a shadowy figure? Uh oh.

Micheal finished paying for the popcorn, walking down the hall to the correct showroom where Edward was saving him a seat. He ignored how hot he was in his hoodie as he made his way to his seat, sitting down and handing Edward the popcorn to hold. Edward thanked him, stuffing a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"You get the stuff?" He whispered once Micheal was situated. Micheal smiled, patting the hoodie pocket that was secretly full of licorice, chocolate candies, and peanut butter crackers. The good stuff, Micheal had assured Edward over the phone when he'd asked what kind of snacks Micheal would be sneaking in. Edward snickered. The two of them talked a bit while the previews played and made fun of some of them, Edward laughing when Micheal startled at the one for an upcoming horror film.

"What, don't like scary movies?" Micheal shrugged.

"Not really, they kinda freak me out."

"...You know the movie that we're about to see is scary, right?" He paled. You've got to be kidding.

"What? No! How would I know that?" Edward leaned forward a bit, eyebrow quirked.

"It's called 'Hour Of The Dying Screams'. You didn't realize it would be scary?" Micheal flushed.

"I thought it would be an action-thriller...." Edward laughed, though it didn't seem like he was laughing _at_ Micheal so much as at the situation. That didn't make Micheal feel better, though. Edward leaned over a bit, smirking.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you."

"My hero," Micheal replied dryly, face heating slightly. Gods this was gonna be embarrassing.   
  
  
  


Edward noticed Micheal gripping tightly to the empty popcorn container with wide eyes as the woman on screen crept down the dark staircase slowly, the music playing low and quiet. He turned back to the screen, chewing on a piece of licorice and watching closely, invested. There was a loud creak and the woman spun around only to see nothing around her. The entire room was silent. Then a hand reached out from above her and dragged her away into the darkness with a bloodcurdling scream. Psh, cliché much? Edward startled when Micheal jumped with a shout, dropping the container and slapping a hand over his mouth. Edward patted his arm with a small grin.

"You ok?" Micheal nodded quickly.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Edward sat back, his hand brushed up next to Micheal's arm as the movie went on. He rolled his eyes when the screen eventually faded to black, credits rolling. Ugh, ambiguous endings were the _worst_! The lights in the room came on as everyone got up to leave. Micheal stood a bit shakily, eyes glancing around as if hands would come out and grab him like in the movie. Edward patted his back.

"You sure you're ok? We can go watch something funny now if you want. I'll get the tickets." Micheal shook his head.

"N-no, I'm fine. What do you want to do now?" Edward thought. Hmm, what was there to do? It was kind of late.

"You want to walk around a bit?" He asked finally with a shrug. Micheal grinned.

"Sure."  
  
  
  


Micheal groaned internally as they walked to the park, cursing himself for getting freaked out by a stupid film. It hadn't even been that scary, not really, just... certain moments. He felt embarrassed, to be honest, and not just because Edward saw him get all shook up. He was a hero for Odin's sake! He should be tougher than that! Then again, he'd never liked horror movies even before being NightHawk. He guessed it's just how he was. This was nice though, walking down the path of the park with Edward babbling next to him. Oh! Edward had been saying something.

"–And the ending was kinda cheesy don't you think? I mean, nothing was explained. What was the wailing in the walls coming from? Where was Nancy dragged off to? Who was the shadow figure in the barn? None of it was answered!" Micheal nodded along. He... didn't remember much about shadow figures or wailing walls, but he _had_ had his eyes closed a lot, so it made sense.

"Sorry, I know you didn't like the movie much. Uh... the stars are nice?" Edward said suddenly. Micheal looked up at the sky, taking in the bright stars and waning moon.

"It's ok, I don't mind. And yeah, they are."

"You know any constellations?"

"Uh, maybe a couple. You?" Edward chuckled.

"Heck no. Pam could probably rattle them all off to you though. She loves that stuff."

"She'd probably like Carla then. I think they should meet up sometime!" Edward gave him a blank glance.

"Her and Pam would combine to make a force so powerful nothing could take them down." Micheal laughed loudly. Yeah, that was probably true! He shivered a bit as a strong breeze rolled in, fallen leaves rolling past. Autumn was setting in, with September having just begun, and the nights had been getting steadily cooler. He'd worn a long arm shirt, but now he was wishing he'd put on something just a little thicker.

"You cold?" Edward asked, stopping. Micheal shrugged.

"Only a little. What about you? Your sleeves are rolled up."

"Nah, I'm usually pretty warm. Uh, could I...?" Edward reached his hand towards Micheals but didn't grab it, waiting unsurely. Micheal shuffled his feet, face going pink as he reached out and held Edward's hand in a comfortable grip. His eyes widened.

"You _are_ warm. How?"

"Heh, I've always run a bit warmer than most. Pam says I'm a living heater. Is this fine?" Micheal nodded. Both of their hands were a bit calloused and rough, their palms a little sweaty, but Edwards hold was gentle and Micheal found that it felt natural. He squeezed it a bit tighter as they continued walking, feeling a little warmer than before. They talked more about stars and made up names for constellations, and about what chaos would erupt from Carla and Pam meeting, chuckling good-naturedly.

"I think they'd like each other, just no blenders," Micheal said with a sly grin. Edward nodded, eyes wide.

"Definitely no blenders. I can laugh about it now, but it _had_ taken me over two weeks to clean that mess and I'm still finding stains on the ceiling!"

"Seriously?"

"Look into my eyes. Does it look like I'm joking?" Micheal did as told, heart pounding a bit as he did so, and was pretty sure he could see physical pain there. He winced.

"Yikes."

"Heh. Yeah.... But maybe we could go out to dinner or something safe like that? They could meet, we could all eat. Might be nice." Micheal nodded, thinking.

"That could work. I'll talk to Carla about it sometime. Till then it's just us." Edward smiled widely with an awkward laugh.

"Yup. You warming up now?"

"Yeah." Edward didn't let go of Micheal's hand, though, and Micheal didn't pull away. They were almost at the end of the path now, where Edward would walk Micheal home before heading to his own house. For now, the two strolled in amicable silence. In a moment Micheal would curse himself for letting his guard down and not paying more attention, but for now, neither he nor Edward noticed the dark figure coming up behind them.


	11. In Which Their Date Gets Crashed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Metal frisbee's to the head are not fun (they hurt a lot, actually)

"Look out!"

Micheal spun around when a high-pitched noise rang out, side-stepping just in time to avoid being hit in the stomach with the metal disk as it flew past him. Edward grabbed his arm, steadying him.

"You ok?" Micheal nodded, eyes widening when three more metal disks flew out from the darkness. He grabbed Edward and ran out of the path of two of the disks, the third slamming into his stomach and throwing him back with a grunt. Where the heck were they coming from?

"Micheal!" Edward shouted, running to him. Another disk shot out as he did so, coming right for Edward. Oh no.

" _Move!_ " Micheal yelled. Edward turned just in time to see the disk before it smashed into his head, throwing him to the ground. Micheal got up and ran to the man, who's face was scrunched up in pain, groaning, a gash on his forehead.

"Edward! Hold on, don't move."

"Thought was _s'pposed_ to move," Edward mumbled, cracking his eyes open, which looked dazed, his pupils dilated. Micheal winced. Definitely a concussion. He picked Edward up quickly, needing to get him out of here and away from whoever was attacking them, only getting as far as the sidewalk before another disk shot out at his chest. He blocked with his free arm, grunting as it pushed him backward, his feet digging into the asphalt as he skidded across the street. He knocked the disk away and held Edward up bridal-style as he ran down the street, hair blowing wildly as he did so. He couldn't use his powers until he had his suit on, otherwise his identity would be compromised. He ran into one of the alleyways, making sure it was clear before laying Edward gently against the brick wall next to the dumpster, out of sight.

"I'll be right back, I promise. I'm going to... go get help." Edward reached out, looking like he was about to argue, but they didn't have time for that so, guiltily, Micheal ignored him and climbed up the fire escape, running over the rooftops to his home. He just hoped he could get his suit and take this person out quickly so he could get back to Edward and help him.   
  
  


Aw man, his head was _killing_ him. Not surprising after getting conked in the head with a metal frisbee, but still. He stood and leaned against the wall, vision a bit fuzzy. Thank goodness for his hard head, if it was anyone else they would have been knocked into a coma. Still hurt like crap, though. Fists clenched Edward thought about his situation. He couldn't just go and blast it up, since that would kind of give away his secret identity, so what was left? Well, he was good at fighting, could run pretty fast, and had 20/20 vision. Great, so he could punch whoever was behind this, run for his life, and see the frisbee coming before it hit him. Good plan. He groaned. Well, if he couldn't fight then maybe he could at least find Micheal and make sure he didn't get himself hurt since he decided to run off looking for help. The guy just couldn't stop playing hero, could he? First, he swoops in to save the day against Damian, and now this? He peeked out of the alley when he heard a mechanical whirring sound echo down the street, spotting the person behind it with a groan. It was another resident villain, a woman who called herself Manakel. She had the ability to control certain metals and typically used her power to play fun games of 'collapse the building full of civilians' or 'cause a horrible car accident'. She was trouble, basically, and not an easy gal to take down. Between her superpower and the metal suit she wore, it would prove difficult to defeat her even for NightHawk. Speaking of the hero, he'd just jumped down onto the street and looked _very_ mad.

"Well, there's our hero! Knew you'd show up sooner or later. You find the little boys I played with?" Little boys? Now that was just rude. NightHawk's eyes darkened and he ran at Manakel, dodging her metal disks as he did so and trying to get in close. It was one of Manakel's weaknesses, close combat. She'd expected this though, and sent a rope of metal out at NIghtHawk's booted feet, forcing him to move to the side or else trip. That was new. Manakel laughed maniacally as she used the metal rope as a whip, lashing it at the hero and nearly striking him in the chest. Edward scowled. There had to be something he could do!  
  


NightHawk was getting really fed up with Manakel as she let out another crazed giggle, whip bitting harshly at his arm and ripping his suit. He winced. That was gonna need stitches. He jumped back to avoid the whip again, unable to get a good hit in. He had to find a way past her whip so he could get in close.

"Hawk, catch!" He turned and caught the metal disk in surprise, looking up to see Edward standing on the sidewalk looking unsteady.

"Take 'er out!" The man yelled, and NightHawk sent him silent thanks as he focused on the woman, lifting the disk and using it as a shield while he ran at her, her whip slicing against it violently. It was useless though, and NightHawk slammed into her, the both of them skidding across the ground and tearing into the street as her whip went flying in a random direction. They grappled, her metal-encased hands squeezing his writs tightly as he tried to pull off her helmet. She kicked him in the chest, her suit providing an extra boost of power that sent him flying across the street. Ow, that was gonna hurt tomorrow. The heating pad might not be enough. She got up, breathing harshly as she strutted toward the hero, a spear of metal forming above her hand. NightHawk struggled to get up, chest aching.

"I'm glad that I was able to get you to come out and play. I did some tune-ups to my suit, made it a little more powerful," Ah, that's why it felt harder to beat her now. _Great_. She lifted him by the front of his suit until he was staring into the lenses of her helmet, which gleamed in the streetlight. She leaned in close, and NightHawk could just hear her smile.

"What do you think?"

"Ah think y' need to stuff it!" Manakel's head snapped to the side when a piece of asphalt hit it, dropping NightHawk to the ground. He looked up to see Edward in the middle of the street, another chunk of asphalt in hand. Manakel scowled.

"Get out of here!" NightHawk yelled. Why was Edward still here? He needed to run, to get out of the way before he got hurt even more. But Edward stood stubbornly as Manakel got up, turning towards him with the spear still clenched in her hand. _Oh no_. NightHawk ran forward the same time Manakel did, spear raised and heading straight for Edward, who stood looking dazed.

"MOVE!" NightHawk yelled, and Edward snapped out of it and jumped to the side just in time to avoid getting turned into a shish kabob, the spear only lightly grazing his outer-thigh. Manakel went after Edward again. Oh heck no, NightHawk had _enough_. He grabbed the metal disk off of the ground and swung it at her head with all his might, her helmet flying off when it connected and collapsing to the ground. She sat up, glaring daggers at him, and he hit her again, knocking her out this time. He dropped the disk, panting. Thank Gods that was over. Edward got up on his hands and knees, groaning and gripping his head. NightHawk came forward and helped him up, letting Edward lean on him for support. Edward grunted.

"Thanks."

"No problem, let's get you home." Edward suddenly pushed back from NightHawk a bit, looking worried.

"N-no. Gotta find... find Michael." Oh crap, that's right!

"Micheal?" He faked ignorance.

"M' boyfriend. He's, uh, blond, 'nd has green eyes n' a purple shirt." Nighthawk's cheeks went pink. Oh, wow, ok. Boyfriend. He cleared his throat.

"Ah, right. He's fine. I, uh, had him stay back while I dealt with the villain." Edward nodded, eyes dazed. He really needed to get some help for that concussion. NightHawk led them down the street, Edward no longer struggling now that he heard Micheal was safe, and man did that make NightHawks heart flutter. Boyfriend... who knew?


	12. Caution: Concussion's Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Micheal meets Pam, Pam is not happy, Edward is dazed and confused.

Oh _man_ did his head hurt. It throbbed in time with his heartbeat, pulsing and painful, and it felt like his head was about to crack in two. Not to mention the gash stung as sweat and dirt got into it, adding to his discomfort. As if that wasn't bad enough the world had decided to do the waltz around him after he'd jumped out of the way of Manakel's spear; Apparently running around and throwing himself to the ground multiple times while he already had a concussion had made things worse, who knew? Now he was being hauled down the street by NightHawk, who looked a bit banged up himself, and Micheal was nowhere to be seen. Had NightHawk already told him where Micheal was? Was he ok? Edward really couldn't remember that well, to be honest.

"So where'd Micheal go, 'gain?" He asked, voice slurring together. Man, his words would not come out right. It was like his tongue weighed 80 pounds. NightHawk glanced at him worriedly. Oh, maybe he _had_ already asked that question.

"He's safe, don't worry. Let's focus on you for right now. How many fingers am I holding up?" NightHawk held up a hand in front of Edward's face. Pshh, easy.

"Four." He said confidently. NightHawk nodded to himself. Ok, good, so he'd been correct.

"Ok, that's good at least. Do you know your name? Where you are?"

"Uh, Edward Maes, 'nd were on... 1st Avenue." The hero nodded again.

"Good! So a mild concussion at least. You had me worried."

"Heh, got a thick skull. S' what my friend says."

"Well consider me thankful for that." No kidding.

NightHawk brought Edward to the hospital where the nurse promised to take good care of him, and he wished Edward luck and told him that Micheal would be there soon. With no small amount of guilt the hero left, ran to his house, and took off his suit before leaving again. Why did their dates always go wrong one way or another?! The first date had technically gone well, but it had started rocky with Damian. Their second date Micheal had forgotten to ask where Edward wanted to go and nearly passed out after the hot sauce thing, and now this! This was definitely the worst by far. Edward could have been killed! It was a miracle he hadn't been hurt worse, though Micheal was beyond grateful. What's more, Edward must have thought that Micheal had ditched him on top of everything else! He sighed, he'd have to find a way to make it up to Edward, but first he'd be there for him now. When he got to the room where Edward was the doctor was finishing stitching up his forehead, the cut on his thigh already wrapped. The man brightened when Micheal walked in.

"There y'are! Are you ok? What happened?" Edward asked, taking in some of the bumps and bruises on Micheal's face.

"I'm fine. Edward, I'm so sorry I ran off. I promise I was coming back, but I got, uh, caught by NightHawk, and by the time I got back to the street the fight was over, and you were already gone so then I ran _here_ –"

"Woah, s' ok. I knew you'd come back, s' why I was worried when I didn' see you." Micheal hung his head.

"Still, I'm sorry. How're you feeling?" Micheal winced. "Never mind, stupid question to ask while you're getting stitches." Yeah, nice going Mike. The doctor stepped back.

"Look's good. You're safe to rest and get plenty of it. Take it easy the rest of the week, alright?" Edward nodded slowly. The doctor nodded at Micheal as he left, and the two were alone. Edward started to get up, holding onto the bed for support, and Micheal lent him a hand.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Is Pam going to pick you up?"

"Yeah. She'll be here soon. She was not happy to hear I got myself knocked in the head." He laughed.

Apparently 'not happy' meant 'seething with anger' as Pam drove to Edward's house, Micheal sitting with hunched shoulders in the backseat as Pam had insisted she drive him as well since she was 'already there'. She hadn't said much to Micheal, anything actually, and had focused more on asking how Edward was feeling before beginning to chew him out like a mom lecturing their unruly child.

"I can't believe you would just run out there like that! Just– What exactly was your plan? Were you _trying_ to get killed? I mean seriously! You have the thought process of a goldfish! No- scratch that- a _GOLDFISH_ could have sat down and made a better decision than you did tonight."

"Goldfish don' sit?" Micheal just barely stopped himself from laughing at that as Pam groaned loudly, glaring at Edward when she stopped at a red light.

"You are the most– I can't believe– _How_ have I not pulled out every last strand of my hair with you?" Edward just shrugged, laying back against the seat with a small frown. Pam huffed but stopped yelling. They arrived shortly after that, Edward shuffling inside slowly. Pam turned to Micheal, looking drained, hands on the steering wheel.

"So where do you live?" Micheal shook his head.

"I can walk, you don't have to drive me."

"Oh no, you aren't walking anywhere. I already have that guy to worry about, I don't need you too."

"It's already late, I don't want you to be out all night." Pam sighed.

"Then just stay here for the night. It's what I'm doing so I can keep an eye on Ed." Micheal considered it, nodding.

"Ok... thanks." Pam shrugged.

"Hey, it's Ed's house, we're just crashing here." Micheal followed Pam into Edward's house, feeling a bit awkward. He'd only been here once, and he hadn't gone inside. It felt a bit weird doing so without Edward being the one to invite him in. Pam locked the door.

"You can take the couch. I'll get you a pillow and blanket."

"Where will you sleep?"

"There's a spare bedroom." Ah. Pam grabbed him the pillow and blanket as promised, throwing them down on the couch. Edward grinned.

"Thanks."

"No problem. It's nice to meet you, by the way."

"Oh, you too. Wish it was under better circumstances." Pam chuckled.

"You and me both, buddy." Pam left to bed after that, and Micheal laid down, staring up at the dark ceiling while thought's of Manakel, Edward, and the word boyfriend flitted through his head, drifting off to sleep slowly. Wow, what a night. He just hoped Edward would still want to go out with him again after all this.


	13. Ugh, This Guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward and Micheal celebrate their one-month anniversary, Damian is a giant jerk, and Edward does NOT get flustered over Micheal. Nope, it doesn't happen.

It turned out that Edward did, indeed, want to go out with Micheal again. Obviously. It was now the beginning of October and Edward was proud to say that they'd been dating for a little over a month. New record! Most of his past relationships didn't last over two weeks (two very miserable weeks), but the same could not be said for him and Micheal. It had been one of the best month's Edward ever had, and he didn't care how sappy that was, people would just have to deal with it because it was true. A few days after the whole Manakel thing Micheal had come up and told Edward that he would understand if he didn't want to go out with him again, which was completely ridiculous, so much so that Edward had actually doubled over in laughter.

"Are you kidding? I'm not gonna dump you over that! Just don't run off again." Micheal nodded, looking dumbstruck, and that had been that. The next three weeks they had continued to date, making sure not to be out too late at night or in secluded areas in hopes of avoiding another villain encounter. It had worked pretty well, they only got cornered by a small-time villain once and Edward had promptly punched them in the mouth, much to Micheal's amusement. Lunch dates, coffee dates at the cafe Pam worked at, shopping, bike rides, walks around the city; Edward sighed dreamily. Yeah, things were good. There was only one problem; He wasn't sure what to do for their one month anniversary. Should he get Micheal a gift? What kind? Should he take him out to a nice restaurant? Maybe he could make dinner himself and invite Micheal over, that might be nice! He hummed. When in doubt, call Pam.  
  
  


Note to self: Do NOT call Pam when in doubt.

"AWWWW! Your one month anniversary? That's so _CUTE_!" He winced, pulling the phone from his ear as she squealed.

"It's not that cute, Pam." He said.

"Yes, it is! Ok, let me think. Does he like flowers?"

"Yeah, sunflowers, but I don't want to just get flowers and nothing else."

"Well of course not, get him flowers and take him to dinner." Edward nodded.

"Ok. Where should we go? It should be somewhere nice." Over the phone he could hear Pam furiously typing on her computer, probably looking up the nicest restaurants she could think of.

"Try going to La Perle Blanche, it's perfect! Fancy, but not like _tuxedo_ fancy. Just wear some nice clothes and a tie."

"I don't have a tie." Pam made an excited noise.

"Tie shopping then!" He sighed exasperatedly.  
  
  


Edward pulled down his mask over his eyes and hiked up his red boots, fastening his orange cape and smirking to himself. If he was going to take Micheal somewhere as expensive as La Perle Blanche (and boy was it expensive), he was gonna need some cash. Working as a waiter only got you so far, definitely not far enough for a restaurant like that, so there was only one thing left to do; Steal from crooks and muggers. Hey, they stole it first, and what do you think _they're_ doing with it? Buying weapons and drugs and stuff, probably. At least he'd be putting the money to good use. He poked around the back allies in search of a perfect pick, finding a couple an hour a later. Two real greasy looking guys that exuded an air of weaselness. Perfect. They were rifling through a purse, one that they'd clearly just stolen, and Edward watched them for a moment before clearing his throat in annoyance. They both jumped up to their feet, one of them clumsily pulling out a switchblade. Oh, he was scared now. Yawn. Couldn't they have more interesting weapons? Imagine if they just whipped out, like, a flamethrower or something. That'd be cool!

"Hey, fella's, mind if I take that?" He pointed at the purse. They scowled, looking as intimidating as newborn kittens. It was kind of adorable, in a greasy weasely way.

"Isn't he that Anty-ness guy?" He rolled his eyes. It was _Antennes_. That's not a hard name to remember!

"Who cares, this is our loot!" The other goon shouted, stepping towards Edward. Well, if that's how they wanted to play it. He shrugged.

"Alright, it's your burnt bun's." And he ran forward, sweeping a wide and fiery kick in their direction, his cape fanning out behind him. That's all it took to have them running the opposite direction, purse abandoned behind them. He grinned. Haha, success! He dug through the purse and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, a nice looking watch, and twenty bucks. Well, it was a start. He was about to shut the wallet when he spotted the ID, letting out a groan. A picture of a nice young woman, maybe 19, stared up at him. She was just a kid! Looking deeper into the bag he found a phone in a glittery pink case and a couple of photos of the girl with what looked like friends. He sighed. He couldn't steal this, that was low, even for him. It was like taking candy from a baby. He turned on the phone, thankful it didn't need a password or anything and went into the contacts. He decided to just call the person marked as 'dad', letting the man know that he found his daughter's purse and telling him where it was before hanging up. He sighed again, so much for this. He pocketed the twenty-dollar bill though, leaving the alley and looking for someone else to steal from.

Haha! His luck was looking up! He'd found three more thugs after the first two, and all of them had plenty of loot on them. Watches, jewelry, even a fifty-dollar bill from one! Edward left the pawnshop with a smile on his face and a bundle of cash in his hand. This should be more than enough for flowers and dinner, maybe even a small gift. Micheal was going to be so surprised! He'd already asked Micheal if he was free on Sunday, and made the reservation at the restaurant when Micheal said he was. He didn't tell Micheal what they were doing, just to come dressed up, and snickered as Micheal gave a hesitant agreement, his interest peaked. This was going to be amazing.  
  
  


Sunday rolled around to find Edward standing excitedly outside of the restaurant, a bouquet of sunflowers in hand. He checked his watch, Micheal should be here soon. He smoothed out his shirt and rocked a bit on his heels, tugging at his tie, a simple black one. Pam had insisted on something more colorful, but Edward refused to wear the one she wanted that had little sunflowers on it.

"But Mike would love it! It's so cute, come on."

"No, Pam, it looks ridiculous!"

"You're ridiculous!"

"What are you, five?"

It had been an interesting shopping trip. Who knew they had so many ties to choose from anyway? It was stupid! Edward gripped the flowers tighter, glancing around. Any second now Micheal should be here, and the thought made his heart pound in excitement. Someone tapped his shoulder and he spun around, a wide smile on his face that quickly turned into a scowl, glaring. You had to be kidding him.

"Hey doll, what ya all dressed up for?" Damian asked casually, eyes looking Edward up and down. He resisted the urge to wiggle uncomfortably, clearing his throat.

"My eyes are up here, Jerk." Damian chuckled.

"You waiting on someone?" He asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"What's it to you?" Edward clipped.

"I just don't think it's right to leave a lovely man all alone on the street." Edward rolled his eyes. Ugh, this guy.

"What are you, stalking me?"

"No, just happened to see you."

"I'm surprised you'd recognize me, seeing as you have so many boy toys hanging off your arms."

"C'mon doll, I was just checkin' on you."

"Yeah, well I appreciate your _concern_ , but I have a date. So... yeah." He finished lamely, expecting Damian to shrug his stupid shoulders and leave. But the man didn't leave, instead, he leaned further forward, forcing Edward to bend back a bit or else be nose-to-nose with him, which, ew, no thanks. Damian glanced around.

"I don't see any date." Edward glowered.

"He just isn't here yet," Edward replied, taking a quick look around. Where _was_ Mike?

"Is there a problem here, _sir_?" Speak of the Devil. Edward turned around to see Micheal, dressed in black pants and a red dress shirt, glossy black shoes, and his blond hair slicked back, glaring daggers at Damian and gripping a bouquet of daffodil's and chrysanthemums tightly in his hand. Edward's heart did that weird stutter thing again, seeming to jump into his throat. Woah, he looked...

"None'a your business," Damian replied flatly, straightening up and stepping closer to Micheal, who was just a bit shorter than the man but not intimidated. Micheal kept his icy stare locked onto Damian, never once glancing away.

"I think it's my business when you're harassing my boyfriend." If Edward's heart wasn't acting up before, it was now. Damian stuck up his snotty nose, staring hard at Micheal before shrugging, turning away and pulling out a cigarette, sticking it in his mouth.

"Whatever, you take the floozy 'f ya want him. Just let me know when he's free again." Edward rolled his eyes. Jerk.

"Hey." Damian turned back to Micheal just in time to get punched in the mouth, sputtering and falling back onto the sidewalk. Edward looked at Micheal, who looked furious, towering over Damian with his fist still raised.

"If I catch you bothering Edward again I'll personally rearrange your face until you won't be able to recognize your own reflection, is that clear?" Damian stared up at Micheal, blood and spit at the corner of his mouth.

"I said _Am._ _I. Clear?_ " Damian grunted in approval. Micheal turned back to Edward.

"You ok?" Edward gaped at him.

"Y-yeah. You didn't need to do that. I mean, I'm glad you did, but you didn't need to."

"I know, but no one has the right to talk to you like that. Are those for me?" Edward glanced at the slightly disheveled bouquet in his arms.

"Uh, yeah. Happy one month anniversary." Micheal grinned widely.

"Thank you! Happy anniversary. These are yours." He handed the other bouquet to Edward.

"You remembered our anniversary?" Edward said, staring at the beautiful flowers in his hands. Chrysanthemums were his favorite. Micheal laughed.

"Of course I did! When you called about a date and told me to dress up I figured it was for our anniversary." He glanced up finally at the restaurant, mouth open wide.

"Wait, is this..." Edward smiled excitedly.

"Yup! Come on, I reserved our table for 8:00." They went inside and got their table, enjoying a nice night together, Micheal insisting to at least split the bill for dinner and revealing that he had gotten Edward some gifts, too. A thick cookbook and an expensive new mixer that Edward had eyed during one of their shopping trips. The mixer was at Micheal's house still, and Micheal said they could go pick it up after dinner. Edward grinned. Yeah, things were good. Things were really good.


	14. Blenders and Sporks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward is terrified, Micheal is nervous, Pam is excited, and Carla is scary when she wants to be.

"Psst, Mike! Hello~" Micheal groaned, clicking away on his laptop and ignoring Carla as she peeked into his cubical for the fifth time in the past hour. She'd been demanding to know when she would get a chance to meet Edward and Pam, saying that it wasn't fair that Pam had got to meet him and yet she hadn't met Edward, saying that Pam sounds like a lot of fun and that it would be great if they could meet, we should schedule something, are you–

"–Listening to me?"

"Carla, I'm about to smash my head into the keyboard. For the love of the Gods, _what_?"

"When–"

"When can you meet Pam and Edward? Look, I'll talk to Edward about setting something up on, I don't know, Friday or whatever, ok?! Just stop asking about it and let me work!" Carla grinned.

"I was going to ask when your report would be finished, but great! I'll hold you to it." And she sat back, typing something on her computer as Micheal stared blankly after her. Great. Just great.

"You _WHAT_?" Micheal winced as Edward gaped at him, a bowl of brownie batter in one hand. Edward had invited Micheal over, asking if he wanted to help try out a new recipe Edward had seen in the cookbook Micheal had given him, and Micheal had agreed eagerly. He'd never say no to brownies. While there, he'd sort of brought up the whole Pam-and-Carla-meeting-on-Friday thing that he'd promised Carla, and, well, Edward was a bit... terrified.

"It's not that I don't _want_ them to meet, and it's not that _I_ don't want to meet Carla, cause I do. But, after hearing about the spork incident, I'm just a little worried about them getting along _too_ well." The 'spork incident', as it had been dubbed, had happened a few years ago when someone had tried stealing Carla's purse. Long story short, she'd used nothing more than a spork to not only stop the guy who'd tried stealing from her but to scare him so badly he _begged_ the police to arrest him just so he could get away from her. Micheal shivered at the thought of Pam and Carla joining forces and becoming so powerful that the entire world would bow down to them, using blenders and sporks to strike fear in people's hearts. As ridiculous as it might sound, it was completely plausible because while they had their differences, the similarities between them were frightening.

"It's like putting a... a T-rex and a Utahraptor together, who decide to become best friends for life. It's a bad idea! They're too powerful together!" Edward ranted, placing the bowl into the new mixer and turning it on. Micheal quirked a brow at the comparison.

"...Have you been watching National Geographic again?"

"Psh, no. Maybe. Whatever, it doesn't matter! Point is, I think it's fine for them to meet up, lets just be careful about it. No sporks, no blenders, just a quick meet-up. Ok?" Micheal nodded, they could do that.

"Yeah, simple meet-up. Nice and safe." How hard could that be?

Why, _why_ did he keep jinxing himself? Carla was currently practicing a 'menacing glare' in her bathroom mirror, which she said she was going to use on Edward when she first met him.

"Carla, please don't do that. I don't need you scaring him away." Carla scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"If he's really devoted to you then it should take a lot more than a scary best friend to run him off." Micheal sighed, giving up. It was pointless to argue with her. He crossed his fingers, praying that the restaurant they were going to didn't have any sporks. The week went by mostly normal, Antennes showing up once with a green cape hooked around his shoulder's (NightHawk had rolled his eyes at that. Seriously, the man had horrible taste in cape colors! His suit was black and red for the Gods sake!) and they fought a bit. He'd pinned the villain to the ground, glowing green eyes meeting simmering orange, and they'd grappled. The fight ended the same way it always did, with Antennes managing to run off and disappear without a trace. Other than that, things had been pretty normal and had given Micheal plenty of time to think about all of the things that could go wrong on Friday. He felt bad; He knew Carla was a great person and that she wouldn't deliberately hurt his chances with Edward, but he couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. He was nervous about meeting Pam, too, officially anyway. They technically had met, but they didn't talk much to one another, so Micheal felt it didn't count. Friday came around slowly, Micheal waking up and starting the day like usual. He'd made some toast, gotten dressed for work, had a cup of water, texted good morning to Edward; He felt pretty good! Traffic wasn't bad either and he found himself sitting at his desk feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day. Carla came in a few minutes later, and the workday went normally, Carla clearly excited for the night.

"We had a reservation for Micheal. Tabel for four?"

"Right this way, gentlemen." Micheal and Edward followed the hostess, sitting at the table and peering over the menu's they were given. Edward smiled, tugging at his shirt nervously.

"So, when is Carla getting here?" He asked. Micheal shrugged.

"Shouldn't be too much longer. What about Pam?"

"She told me she'd be here in about five minutes." Micheal nodded, rubbing his thighs. It would be fine, he told himself. Carla was going to love Edward, that much he was sure of, and she'd probably love Pam too. It would be great. He and Edward chatted amicably, ordering some water when the waitress came up. Micheal nodded as he listened to Edward tell him about how excited he was for Halloween, it was coming up here soon, he'd been poking around the stores for decorations, did Micheal want to help him? Micheal was about to answer when, from behind Edward, he saw someone enter the restaurant that made him freeze, the hope he had about the night going well tucking tail, giving a little salute, and jumping over a waterfall. It was Carla, her black hair straight and long over her shoulders, her makeup dark against her pale skin. She was wearing a simple black dress and heels, making her even taller than normal (and she was already pretty tall). To put it simply, she looked menacing, the glare she'd been practicing being put to good use and she wasn't even looking at Edward yet. Oh no, this was bad. She strutted forward confidently and smirked at Micheal when she noticed him. Ohhh this was _really_ bad. Abort, abort, abort–

"Edward, right?" Edward turned in his chair, gulping visibly when he saw her standing behind him, glaring.

"U-uh, yes?" She stared at him. Edward shifted nervously, probably expecting her to hex him or something. She didn't hex him, just nodded, looking him up and down before moving to sit next to him. Edward glanced between her and Micheal, eyes wide. Micheal gave him a thin smile, leveling a glare at Carla when he wasn't looking. She crossed her arms, looking smug. He ground his teeth. Before anyone could say anything, Pam showed up, looking bubbly and happy in a bright yellow shirt and jeans. She shook Micheal's hand, then Carla's, giving Edward a pat on the shoulder before sitting next to Micheal, across from Carla.

"It's so nice to meet you! Well, we've met before, but this is a lot nicer." Pam said, smiling. Edward grinned weakly as Carla laughed, eyeing her nervously. Micheal chuckled.

"Heh, yeah, nice to see you again."

"So, what has everyone been up to?" Pam asked, glancing around. Edward took a long drink of water to avoid answering.

"Mostly work for me," Micheal spoke up. Carla nodded.

"Yup, lots of work. Lots of listening to him gushing about his boyfriend." Micheal and Edward both went red. Pam gasped.

"Aww! Edward does the same thing!" Edward buried his face into his hands. Micheal swallowed thickly.

"Ahah, I– _No_ , I don't do that. Sh-she's joking."

"Oh no, you go on and on. Look, I have proof." And she turned around and pulled out her phone, turning on a video of Micheal standing in the kitchen, waiting on toast. He spluttered. When had she taken this?!

"Wha– You SPY on me?!" She scoffed.

"It's not spying, its blackmail. It's your fault for being so caught up you didn't even notice me recording. I was sitting at the counter." He reached across the table to grab her phone, but she moved out of his reach, turning the volume up.

"–Ust really nice, Carla, and he was so excited to go to the hot sauce place. You should have seen him, it was so cute. I think I almost passed out there, though, but it was worth it. And his eyes! Did I tell you? Oh, shut up! Stop laughing! You wouldn't be laughing if you saw them–" Micheal sat back, face hot and uncomfortable. Well, time to throw himself into traffic, then. Carla and Pam laughed loudly.

"Oh, that's so sweet! Ed does that too. _'Ohh~ His eyes are gorgeous. His hair looks so soft~'_ " Edward gaped.

"I–! I do not say that! And I don't sound like that!"

"Yes you do, you sound exactly like that!" Before anything else could be said a waitress came up, looking anxious as she took everyone's order, Micheal and Edward beet-red and sweating, Pam and Carla cackling loudly. Everyone ordered, Micheal and Edward getting refills for their water. The waitress nodded, promising to bring extra ice. Micheal scowled at Carla, Edward doing the same to Pam. Micheal suddenly smirked, leaning back in his seat.

"Well, speaking of embarrassing stories, did I ever tell you about the time she got beat up by a five-year-old at Chuck E. Cheese?" Micheal asked Edward, keeping eye contact with his friend as he did. She narrowed her eyes.

"You wouldn't–"

"Why no Mike, I don't believe you have! Please, tell us all about this event!" Edward replied. Micheal grinned.

"It was a dark and stormy Thursday afternoon, and Carla was working as a party host at Chuck E. Cheese."

" _Stop,_ " Carla warned.

"The party was for this sweet-looking little girl who wanted to play with the band on stage–"

"Play? She was tearing them apart! She punched the guy in the mouse suit in the crotch!"

"–Carla stopped her, which made the girl _very_ mad, and she ended up throwing ski-balls at Carla's head." Pam's eyes widened as Edward laughed loudly.

" _Ski-balls?_ " He gasped out. Pam snorted.

"Well, she needed a weapon and found one. I'd be impressed!" Carla growled.

"That girl was a devil-child."

"She was five."

"She was _evil_!"

"She was dressed up as a fairy princess!" Edward laughed louder. Carla glared at Micheal.

"Oh yeah, well, YOU make out with your pillow when you sleep!" Edward choked on his spit as Micheal's face went red as a firetruck.

"Didn't you used to chew on your pillows, Ed?" Pam asked slyly.

"Psh, I– _You_ fought a pigeon and lost!"

"That was one time!"

"It happened twice!"

"That's not a lot."

"Well, no, but it's weird it happened twice, isn't it?" Everyone went back and forth, yelling out random things that the other had done. Carla had dyed her hair pink by accident, Pam had crashed into a clown car, Edward had fallen off the roof of his family farmhouse and ripped the gutter off on the way down, Micheal had accidentally eaten a ghost pepper and passed out. By the time the food had come out everyone was rolling in laughter, Edward snort-laughing and Carla having tears running down her face.

"O-oh my Gods, this is hilarious. You were right Ed, these two are a hoot." Pam laughed breathily. Carla smiled.

"I'll admit, you two aren't half bad. I'll allow you to date my friend, Edward." Micheal rolled his eyes while Edward brightened. The conversation calmed from there, dissolving into small talk about random things, including a Halloween party.

"You're throwing one?" Micheal asked Pam in surprise. She nodded excitedly.

"Yup! I throw one every year. It's something me and Ed always do. You two should come! It'll be a lot of fun." Carla hummed.

"I'm down for that. What do you say, Mike?" Micheal wasn't super into Halloween- he liked it, it just wasn't his type of holiday with the scary movies and freaky costumes- but Edward was glancing at him hopefully, a small grin on his face, and Micheal found himself nodding.

"Yeah. Sounds great." He could feel Carla staring at him but ignored her. Pam and Edward smiled.

"Awesome! Here, I'll give you guys the details." An hour later dinner was finished and the four were standing outside saying their goodbyes. Edward shook Carla's hand, yelping when she pulled him in close and whispered into his ear.

"You seem like a great guy, and I don't think I have to do this, but just in case, I want you to know; If you do anything to hurt Mike, I will personally hunt you down. There will be nowhere you can hide." She poked him in the chest with something, and he glanced down in horror when he saw it was a plastic spork she'd pulled from her purse. Edward nodded, took two shaky steps from Carla, and promptly fell to the ground in a dead faint. Good night all around, things considered!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I hope you're enjoying my story so far! The first chapter of the Halloween Special is now up, with plenty of fun and spooky moments for our favorite characters, so go check it out! It's not necessary to read that story, it's just for added fun. Happy October guys!


	15. Love and Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Micheal reflects on his feelings for Edward, and nightmares rear their ugly head.

Micheal sighed contently as he lay on his couch, a wide smile plastered firmly on his face. He couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened last week during Halloween; Sharing scary stories with Edward, Carla, and Pam, meeting Edward's family, the hayride, and the pumpkin patch– His face heated as he thought once again about how Edward had lifted up that huge pumpkin like it was nothing. He'd also managed to get a new companion out of the trip. He glanced down to where the small black kitten was curled up on his legs, sleeping peacefully. He laughed as he thought about how he'd come across the cat, remembering how it had chased him and Edward's siblings through the cornfield at the family farm and scared the living daylights out of them all. He had yet to name the cat, and Carla and Pam were all too eager to 'help' out by coming up with random names. 

"You could name her Sinister." Carla had offered. Micheal scrunched his nose.

"Uh, no, I'm not naming her that. There's nothing sinister about her!" Pam jumped up excitedly.

"Oh, oh, what about tickles?" 

"Tickles." Carla deadpanned. Pam nodded.

"Yeah, it's cute!" Micheal had sighed, shaking his head and thanking them for trying. He told them he'd just keep thinking about it, but he still hadn't settled on anything. Nothing seemed to fit, and he wanted to pick a good name. Thinking about the cat caused his mind to wander back to Edward, something that had been happening more and more lately, and the realization he'd made while on the hayride with him. Sitting there in the chill of autumn, surrounded by the beautiful aspens and falling leaves, staring at one another as they held hands tightly, Micheal very suddenly realized that he didn't just really like Edward, he... He loved him. It was a bit startling at first, but he quickly came to terms with the fact that yes indeed, he loved Edward Maes. He loved listening to him talk, and watching him move, and being with him, and everything else that came with the man. He even loved Edward's family, who had all been beyond kind and welcoming to him, treating him like their own. He hadn't told anyone about this realization, not even Carla, and he wasn't sure how to tell Edward. What if Edward didn't feel the same? Micheal knew that Edward definitely liked him, but love? That was a different story. Micheal didn't want to mess this up, so he decided not to say anything until the time was right. He had work in the morning and the rest of his week would be pretty busy, especially since he had hero work to do, but he and Edward were already planning to hang out at Micheal's house and just relax on the weekend, so he'd use that knowledge to push through the week. Smiling softly Micheal drifted off to sleep.

It was dark, the street looking unwelcoming as it stretched ahead of him. The night was oddly warm and sticky, making his shirt cling to his back uncomfortably as he walked. Why was he walking? Where was he going? Micheal wasn't sure, he just kept going. The buildings sped past in a blur and he realized he was running, footsteps slamming loudly behind him. He had to run, it was coming, he couldn't let it get him!

"Help me! Someone, help!" He shouted, voice raspy. The world twisted and distorted sickeningly, and he stopped as he nearly crashed into a building. He was at a dead end. No. No no no nononono this couldn't be happening he had to– Had to– He was on his stomach, hands pressing harshly into his back as he flailed uselessly. Let him go! Let him up! He– He couldn't–! The hands pressed harder, the world twisting like he was on some sort of horrible ride. Someone yelled as the city burned around him, yet he felt colder than ever. The shadows taunted him, laughing shrilly as the flames consumed the world.

" _GAH!_ " Micheal sat up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath as he looked around frantically. He wasn't in his room, where was he?! He sucked in a rattling breath as he realized he was on the couch. He could feel the fabric under his trembling fingers, the glow from the TV lighting the room up softly. The kitten, who'd run away when he'd yelled, sat on the floor and stared at him innocently. He wiped a hand down his face, cursing himself. He'd thought he was over these nightmares by now. He grabbed his phone, hesitating before shooting Carla a simple text- _Can't sleep_. He felt bad texting her so late at night, but she'd made him promise that he do so if he needed to talk, no matter what. His phone dinged a minute later.

- _'Nightmare?'_ He sighed.

- _'Yeah. Sorry for waking you, just got freaked out.'_

_-'Don't worry about it. You ok?'_

_-'I'm fine, just going to watch some TV for a while. See you at work.'_ He threw his phone onto the table with a large sigh, turning on a reality show and trying his best to focus on the pointless drama. Gods, he was so sick of these nightmares. He should be over it by now. Shaken, Micheal only managed to lightly doze as he watched TV for the rest of the night, pulling himself up with a groan an hour before he'd normally get up for work. He ate a light breakfast before going to get washed up, setting out food and water for the cat, and making a large cup of coffee before heading out the door and into his car. As he drove down the street, he never noticed the figure watching him from across the road.

"Mike, you look like crap," Carla said as soon as she saw Micheal. 

"Hello to you, too." She rolled her eyes, hands on her hips as she glared down at him.

"I'm serious. Did you get any sleep last night?" He shrugged.

"Some, before the nightmare. After that, I couldn't." She sighed, gazing at him for a moment longer before nodding.

"What was it about?" 

"You know, the usual. I thought they were gone now..." She patted his shoulder firmly.

"Hey, it's ok, no big deal. You gonna be good to work today?" He nodded, giving her a thin smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She laughed, going to sit down in her cubical.

"You wish, bud. Now get to work."

"Ma'am yes ma'am," He said teasingly, turning and clacking away at his computer. One day at a time, Mike. One day at a time.


	16. Another Day, Another Failed Attempt At A Bank Robbery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, bank robberies never work out very well for Antennes. He really isn't sure why.

Edward was floating on air this whole past week, simply unable to wipe the stupid smile off his face as his thought's continuously lingered on Micheal. Their anniversary had been amazing, and then the time they spent together for Halloween had been just as great. Even his family loved Micheal, and they'd not stopped telling him how happy they were that he found someone. Pam had been all knowing-looks and friendly jabs, but she'd also been equally as happy. Everything was just going... really well. He pulled down his mask and hiked up his boots, fastening a green cape around his shoulder with a little laugh, knowing full-well how mad NightHawk would be when he saw it. The little quirk of hating clashing colors was one of many things Antennes enjoyed about the hero, but he was in a relationship now, so his little man-crush (yes, he finally admitted he had a crush on the hero. Get over it) would have to take a back seat. Still, he'd never skip an opportunity to push the hero's buttons, so green cape it was! He hadn't done much villain work lately and was beginning to feel restless, so he decided to do something light; Just a simple bank robbery, in and out. He'd just finished his shift at work, so it was almost dinner time. That just meant that this should go even smoother.

"Alright, you know what to do, people!" The trembling civilians all moved to the back of the room and sat quietly while the tellers gathered the cash, piling it into a bag neatly. They were nearly finished when a loud crash brought down the entrance wall of the bank, glass tinkling to the ground like rain as another villain entered the scene. Antennes groaned. You had to be kidding. It was a villain Antennes had seen a few times in passing, a guy who called himself Radiex. Don't even ask Antennes to explain the villain's name to you because he had no idea. Stupid villain name aside, this guy was powerful, in the same league as Manakel, and had a tendency to cause trouble even to other villains. He also _loved_ causing damage to people and things alike. Heaving a sigh, Antennes turned to him with arms crossed.

"What do you think you're doing here?" Radiex smirked smugly, his purple eyes glittering with malice.

"Just thought I'd drop in and join the party! Hey, why the trembling? 'Fraid I'm gonna hurt ya?" Radiex taunted, turning his attention to the back of the room where the civilians were sitting. Antennes narrowed his eyes and flailed his hands.

"Uh, hey, I'm talking to you, bub! This is a party of one, actually, so if you don't mind–" Radiex smiled wolfishly, a smile that kind of reminded Antennes of Damian, and his hands lit up with purple plasma.

"That so? Better get rid'a you quick, then." The man rocketed forward as he launched a large blast of plasma at Antennes' chest. Antennes managed to avoid the blast by hitting it with an explosion of his own, but Radiex still crashed hard into him, throwing him back into the wall. Civilians cried out in fear as he grunted, the wall cracking behind him and leaving an Antennes-shaped dent. He growled, smoke beginning to trail from his fingertips as he punched Radiex in the face, pushing him back. Gods this guy was obnoxious. Why had he decided to rob a bank again? It never went well, you'd think he'd learn by now. Radiex was far from being down, wiping his mouth with his smile still firmly in place.

"Not bad! Not great either, but you're a lot stronger than you look. Guess I'm gonna have fun after all." He ran again, two plasma blasts firing rapid speed at Antennes' head. He moved out of the way just as quickly, a fiery kick and punch aimed at Radiex's torso. The kick didn't make contact but the punches did, blowing the black-and-purple-suited villain out of the destroyed glass front of the building and onto the street, asphalt cracking beneath him. He was up and rearing to go within seconds, but so was Antennes, who ran out of the bank and launched an explosive blast at Radiex's feet. It blew the other villain back a good few feet, landing him on top of some poor suckers car. Ouch, hope they had insurance. Radiex glared at Antennes, his smile finally beginning to fade. Antennes smirked.

"What? Not having fun now that you're gettin' your butt whooped?" Was it a good idea to antagonize the guy? Maybe not. But did Antennes care? Nope. He did not. Radiex stood up and with a feral yell tackled Antennes to the ground, sending them both sliding down the road. Antennes grunted as the asphalt was torn up underneath him, not very happy that his suit was probably being ripped to shreds back there. It'd be just his luck to have to fight a jerk like Radiex with his backside exposed. They grappled, Antennes trying to aim at Radiex's chest so he could blow the maniac off of him, but Radiex wasn't giving him an opening as he kept a firm hold on Antennes' left wrist, the other hand pushing hard on his chest. Antennes decided to try using his legs instead, ignoring the fact that he probably looked ridiculous as he lifted his legs and got them between him and Radiex, kicking as hard as he could. He didn't have enough leverage to throw Radiex very far, but other villain did let go and Antennes wasted no time moving away and putting some distance between them. Both villains were panting and looking beat up, and Antennes really just wanted to end this and grab a coffee. So what it was around 5:00, he was an adult. He could have coffee whenever he wanted. Radiex clearly had other plans, though, because instead of shaking hands and calling a truce, the other villain got on the other side of the car he'd been smashed into and shot a plasma blast at it, causing it to be blown straight at Antennes. He ducked just in time to avoid getting smashed in the head, rolling and landing unsteadily on his knees with a growl. 

"Ok, that's it! No more Mr. Nice Villain!" Radiex smiled.

" 'Bout time!" Antennes grabbed the rear bumper of the car and threw it at Radiex, who jumped on top of it and flew at Antennes, fist glowing purple. Still on his knees and caught off guard the hit landed squarely on Antennes' chest, knocking him back as surely as it knocked the air from his lungs. He coughed and wheezed, rolling over before Radiex could land on him again. Radiex smiled maniacally and laughed as he chased Antennes through the streets, rush hour in full swing as it came to be 6:00 and people started leaving work or going for dinner. Antennes cursed and found himself wondering where the heck NightHawk was when you needed him. See, when it was just Antennes robbing a bank NightHawk was all over him, but when a guy like Radiex swoops in and starts trashing everything NightHawk is nowhere to be found! Antennes growled. Ok then, so it was up to him to get rid of this guy. Hah, funny that he was, in a twisted way, playing the hero now. In one quick motion, Antennes unclipped his cape and let it fall behind him, momentarily tangling around Radiex's feet and tripping him. Antennes actually hated capes, but as said before, he loved getting on the hero's nerves. Right now though NightHawk was clearly not going to save the day and the cape was honestly really obnoxious to fight in, so it was coming off. He turned to face Radiex again, eyes narrowed as he watched the villain strut forward cockily. This guy was almost as bad as Damian.

"Y'know, if you just backed off now and let me take over, this could be finished." Antennes rolled his eyes.

"In your dreams!" Radiex shrugged, his eyes dark.

"All right then." He ran forward and jumped on top of one of the cars parked along the street, jumping side to side, car to car, alarms going off behind him as he closed the distance between him and Antennes in seconds. Antennes only had enough time to bring his arms in front of his chest before Radiex plowed into him, both of them flying backward and through the glass of a small cafe. The customers and baristas all yelled out in fright as the fight went on, tables being flipped over and drinks flying. Antennes grunted as he tripped over a man's outstretched leg, falling hard on his back. He glared at the frightened man.

"You mind? I'm trying to kick this guy's butt." The man stared at him. He rolled his eyes.

" _Get outta here, people!_ " He shouted finally. The people inside the cafe scrambled to leave, rushing out in terror as Radiex strutted forward, smirking.

"Look at you, lil hero in training!"

"I'm not a hero."

"Hm. You do a good impression of one, then. One problem, though. Hero's," He pulled Antennes up by the front of his suit. "Don't usually get whooped this badly." Oh heck no. This guy was going _down_. With a growled yell Antennes pushed hard against Radiex's chest and blasted him back with a large explosion, flinging them both in opposite directions. Antennes recovered first and pounced on Radiex, landing blow after blow on the man, not letting up or giving him a chance to fight back. Just as he was about to finish with a knock-out hit, a familiar voice filtered from down the street. Antennes smirked down at Radiex's bloodied face, eyes shining like embers.

"Look who's here to pick you up! How nice. I think he even has a nice pair of silver bracelets for you." He patted Radiex's bruising cheek condescendingly, said villain scowling, before getting up and fleeing the scene. While the bank had been a total bust, and he'd certainly be very sore for the next few days, it was all worth it to finally see Radiex be put in his place. He'd let the hero deal with it all now. He really needed that coffee.


	17. Rest and Relaxation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Micheal and Edward have a nice night watching movies together. Things are going well- until they aren't.

"You really _are_ a good multi-tasker," Carla commented as she watched Micheal dust, vacuum, and wipe down the kitchen counter all at the same time. His t-shirt was covered in dust and bore the stains to prove how much he'd been sweating as he ran around like a madman. But _Edward_ was coming today, so it only made sense that he make sure everything was spotless, right? That was understandable, wasn't it? Carla just didn't get it. 

"Mike, buddy, _relax_. I don't think Ed is a clean-freak, he'll live if he sees a little dust." Micheal huffed, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Yes, I know, but this place is disgusting right now! I need to get it cleaned. Oh, can you grab the bedsheets and throw them in the wash?" Carla quirked a brow, smirking.

"Oh~? Any reason you need the bed all nice and fresh?" Micheal's face heated as he spluttered.

"Ah–! _No!_ I just want it to be clean in case he goes in there!"

"Why would he be going in there?" She asked again, suggestively. He groaned.

" _Carla–_ "

"Ok, ok, I'm going. Just finish with your freak out. You have ten minutes till he gets here." _ONLY TEN MINUTES?!_

Edward rang the doorbell and stepped back, waiting excitedly. He'd been looking forward all week to seeing Micheal again, something Pam had poked fun at him for, but he couldn't muster up the will to care. He heard something clatter to the ground, a surprised shout, the sound of a cat meowing, and a voice that sounded strangely like Carla saying 'Would you _relax_ , this place is spotless!' before the door was pulled open to reveal, sure enough, Carla. She looked a bit frazzled but otherwise fine as she grinned at him.

"Hey Ed, come on in. I was just leaving. Mike, put the mop away! He's already here!" Edward heard Micheal groan as he entered, seeing a broom and a feather duster laying on the floor and Micheal standing next to it with a wet mop in hand. He looked flustered but his expression quickly cleared when he saw Edward. 

"Hey! Sorry about the mess. How are you?" Edward heard Carla scoff. He smiled.

"I'm good. Been a busy week. You?"

"Pretty good, can't complain." Edward took a moment to look at Micheal's pale face, noting the bags under his eyes and his messy hair that looked as though he'd run his fingers through it all morning. He frowned.

"Are you–"

"I'm gonna head out now guys. Have fun." Micheal waved goodbye and Edward turned to her.

"Bye Carla!" She shut the door behind herself, leaving them alone. Edward turned back to Micheal, who was picking up the cleaning supplies and leaned down to help him.

"You don't need to do that," Micheal said. Edward carried the broom to the kitchen pantry.

"I know. So, what do you want to do?" 

"I was thinking we could just relax tonight, maybe watch a movie."

"Sounds good to me! What kinda snacks do you got?" They made a bowl of microwave popcorn and Micheal found some chewy candy in his pantry before the two settled on the couch, Micheal turning on the rom/com he'd recorded. It was stupid and cheesy, absolutely horrible, and that was exactly why it was so hilarious.

" _'How To Make This Gingerbread House A Gingerbread Home'_? Who even thought of that title?!" Edward asked around a mouthful of popcorn. It was ridiculous! And way too long. Micheal snorted, petting the black cat who'd settled on his lap. 

"I'm pretty sure it's based off a book."

"Who the heck read's rom/coms?" Edward asked. Micheal shrugged.

"I'm sure some people do."

"Those people are weird." No offense. 

_'I'm sorry, Darel, but he's going to buy the Christmas cookie shop. It's over.'_ The woman on the screen said dejectedly. The man, Darel, shook his head fiercely.

 _'Where's that Christmas spirit, Amy?! Where's that holly-jolly passion?'_ Amy looked away overdramatically.

 _'It's gone, just like my deceased father's Christmas cookie recipe.'_ Amy turned away, walking down the icy street as snow began to fall. 

"Boooo!" Micheal yelled, popping a candy into his mouth. Edward laughed.

"Seriously, who wrote this? You know exactly what's going to happen next! Let me guess, Darel is gonna grab her by the shoulder, flip her around, and kiss- Yup! Gods, come on." The movie continued with Amy and Darel somehow convincing the businessman to give them back the shop, and, with the power of... Christmas or something like that, the cookie recipe turned up again and the characters lived happily ever after. Edward let out a fake snore.

"Wanna watch another one?" Micheal asked. Edward smirked.

"You know me so well."

By the end of the second movie Edward's eyes were drooping slightly, and Micheal was already snoring softly beside him. He yawned, looking over at his boyfriend with a soft smile, watching him sleep peacefully, his mouth hung open slightly and his head tilted back and to the side, cheek smooshed into the couch cushion, the kitten curled next to him. He was glad to see Micheal resting deeply since it looked like he hadn't been getting much sleep this week. In an effort to keep him that way Edward muted the TV and nestled further into the throw blanket Micheal had draped over both of them, curling up and watching the silent movie until his vision blurred and faded, falling asleep.

Micheal ran through the darkness of the cornfield, heart pounding in his ears so loudly that he could barely think as he panted harshly, the cold air clawing harshly at his face and throat. The sounds of something running behind him, crashing through the cornstalks, was growing louder and louder, shadowy tendrils outstretched to grab, to trap, to kill. He stumbled out of the field and ran to the alleyway, buildings towering over him as though he were the smallest thing in the universe, everything else so much bigger and deadlier. His breath hitched on every desperate inhale, eyes scanning the empty street. Why was he alone? Where was everyone?! The footsteps behind him grew louder and he clenched his hair tightly, feeling strands pull painfully.

"Leave me alone!" He shouted into the darkness, the figure not stopping in its advance toward him.

"Micheal..." He shook his head frantically, curling into himself.

"NO! Get away from me!"

"Micheal..." He stood up, glaring at the figure through his tears.

"No no no! Go away!" He lashed out, fist missing the figure by inches. It stalked towards him, backing him into a corner, hands sliding from the darkness to grab him, trap him, and he struggled fiercely, punching wildly and feeling his fist connect solidly with something in front of him.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! GO AWAY! LEGGO!"

"MIKE! MICHEAL, _STOP!_ "His eyes snapped open with a gasp. That voice, he knew that voice. Blurrily he looked around, wiping shakily at his wet face as he did. He was on the floor, back against the kitchen counter, the room lit softly from the TV as it played commercials silently. In front of him, back near the couch, was Edward, his eyes blown wide as he stared at Micheal with thinly veiled concern.

"Mike... Are... Are you ok? Wait, no, stupid question. Uh, are you... awake now?" Micheal took a shuddering breath, clenching his fists.

"Y-yeah... I- What–?" Edward shook his head.

"Uh, you had a bad dream I guess. You were mumbling in your sleep on the couch, and I tried to wake you up, and you just shot up and freaked out and ended up over here." Edward came forward slowly as though approaching a startled animal, and Micheal felt his heart and stomach clench as he realized what had happened.

"Oh Gods, Ed, I– I'm sorry." He stammered, burying his hand into his hair. He never should have fallen asleep, at the very least not with Edward so close by. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Edward waved his hand.

"Don't be. Are you better?" Micheal nodded, glancing up at Edward as he came to sit in front of him, eyes widening when he looked at Edward's face.

"Oh my Gods, Ed! What happened?" Edward's cheek sported a rather large bruise, faint but steadily growing darker. Edward shook his head.

"It's not a big deal, Mike, I promise. It doesn't even hurt." Micheal's breath caught.

"No... Did... Did _I_ do that to you?"

"Mike, you were having a nightmare and I grabbed you. You just got scared, it's ok."

"This isn't ok! I– Oh man, I'm so sorry. Hold on." He stood up quickly, ignoring the way the world tilted as he went to the bathroom, grabbing out the first aid kit and bringing it to Edward. He opened it and fished around for the bruise cream, applying it to Edward's face gently. He couldn't believe what he'd done. He'd hit Edward, even if he hadn't meant to. His eyes stung and his hands shook but he ignored it all until Edward grabbed his wrist and pulled it back, forcing Micheal to look at his eyes.

"Mike, please, it's ok. I promise. I shouldn't have grabbed you. You know, Erica used to get these really bad night terrors, _and_ she was a sleepwalker to boot. One night I found her in the hallway, just standing there, and I grabbed her shoulder. She freaked out and pushed me down the stairs." Micheal's eyes widened.

"What?" Edward laughed. 

"Yeah! I caught myself on the banister halfway down but I broke my wrist and earned some pretty bad bruises, worse than this little thing." He pointed at his cheek, which was a faint red-green.

"Erica felt horrible when she woke up, wouldn't talk or look at me for a week, and she tried to stop sleeping altogether. But we talked and worked things out eventually, and she doesn't get night terrors anymore and only sleepwalks on occasion. My point is that I wasn't mad at her then and I'm not mad at you now. Neither of you meant to hurt me, it was an accident, and I know that might not make you feel better right away, but it's important for you to know." Micheal nodded slowly, clenching his fists again.

"This isn't the first time. The nightmares, I mean. I used to get them all the time after... Uh, well..." Edward patted his knee.

"You don't have to tell me. You don't owe me an explanation or anything." Micheal shook his head.

"No. No, I want to." And he did. He really did. It didn't make it easier though. Edward stared at him before nodding.

"Ok... Why don't you go sit on the couch. I'll make some hot cocoa and then you can tell me if you want to." Micheal nodded, getting up slowly and sitting down on the couch while Edward worked. He scrubbed his face, thinking about how he wanted to do this. Probably just go over the basics. Yeah, that'd be best. The kitten trotted in and jumped back onto his lap, curling up and falling asleep. A few minutes later Edward was seated next to him, the blanket wrapped over their laps as they cradled their mugs of cocoa. Micheal took a deep breath, Edward waiting patiently for him to start.

"Ok, uh, so this happened about... three years ago. Maybe four. I, uh, I had a girlfriend at the time. I had really liked her, thought I loved her, even, but... Yeah." He glanced up nervously to gauge Edward's reaction, but the man was just watching him calmly. 

"Anyway, I really liked her, but Carla and a few of my other friends at the time didn't. Said that they didn't trust her. I ignored them. We were together for about two years, and I'd thought everything was going great, but then, uh, she'd... Well, I–" He took a shuddering breath, wondering how to explain this next part. It had to do with NightHawk, actually, but he couldn't exactly tell Edward that.

"I'd noticed that she was becoming a bit distant, and I can now say, though I didn't realize at the time, that she'd been pretty toxic for that second year too. Always tearing me down one way or another, you know? But, uh, one night, I found out that she was actually working with villains. I'd never known, and that night I'd walked right into what had apparently been a meeting between her and some of her 'clients'. I'd... threatened to go to the police, which was so _stupid_ of me to say because of _course_ they didn't take that well." He remembered that night clearly. He'd come back from patrol as NightHawk, which he was still pretty new at, only to find his kitchen full of supervillain gang members, his girlfriend amongst them as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He remembers how hurt he'd been that she'd been hiding this, betraying his trust, but it had only gotten worse from there.

"They'd attacked then, obviously. I fought them off the best I could, and I stupidly still thought that she'd do something to help. I mean, after everything, I thought she must have loved me at least a little bit, right? But... she just stood there and watched. And then when it was finished, she left with them. Never even looked back." Yeah, he remembered that too, though not as clearly. Unlike what he'd told Edward, he hadn't threatened to call the police at the time. They'd attacked because it had been a trap for him set up by the very person he'd thought he could trust. He'd fought them, taken down at least two, but he'd been outnumbered and caught off-guard. He hadn't really stood a chance. They'd punched and kicked and cut, and he was powerless to do anything as they pinned him to the floor. And the whole time, she'd done nothing. Hadn't even cared. That hurt more than any of the hits. She'd been the only other person besides Carla to know about his hero identity, and she'd betrayed him.

"Anyway, I woke up later in the hospital. Carla had found me and gotten me help after I hadn't answered my phone. All my other friends had left, said 'I told you so', but not Carla. She pretty much saved my life." He slumped back against the couch, taking a long sip of his drink. Neither he nor Edward said anything for a while. Then:

"Ok. Thanks for telling me. Do you feel better?" Micheal glanced up in surprise.

"That's it?" 

"That's it. Unless you want to tell me more." He shook his head.

"Uh, no, I just– I don't know..." Edward patted his hand comfortingly.

"It's over now, right? She's gone, you're here, I'm here. It's ok. She won't _ever_ hurt you again." Micheal nodded, feeling oddly at peace.

"Yeah. I thought I was over these nightmares, but they've been coming back again recently. I don't know why..."

"They'll go away. Just give it time. Until then just know that you can call me whenever. Or text. Don't worry if it's late, just do it. Ok?"

"Carla told me the same thing." Edward grinned.

"She's a pretty great friend, huh?" Micheal nodded, smiling.

"The best. Pam, too." 

"Want some more cocoa?"

"With marshmallows?"

"Do you have any?"

"Pantry." Edward chuckled.

"Alright. Do you have whipped cream, graham crackers, and chocolate?" Micheal quirked a brow.

"Uh, maybe?" Edward cracked his knuckles, grabbing Micheal's mug with an excited glint in his eyes.

"Alright then, I'm gonna make you a Maes special guaranteed to make you feel good or your money back!" Micheal laughed, content to watch as Edward bustled around the kitchen, grabbing everything he needed, and setting to work. When he came back it was with two mugs loaded with whipped cream and topped with crushed chocolate chips and graham crackers. His eyes widened as he grabbed the mug.

"There's marshmallows and a stick of peppermint I found in there, too."

"This looks delicious. How are you supposed to drink it though?" 

"Easy, like this." Edward stuffed his face into the mug and took a bite out of the whipped cream, coming back up with a face full of the stuff. Micheal laughed, following his lead, and the two stayed up and chatted as they drank about anything and everything, the tendrils of Micheal's nightmare slipping away.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, Cosmic here! Yup, that's right, I'm on Ao3 now too! Hope you enjoyed chapter one of TIaaC, there's a lot more to read after this! The art in this chapter (and future chapters) belong to me just like the plot and characters do. This story was based off of a prompt of a villain wearing the hero's cape, but the actual story and characters are mine. Let me know what you think!
> 
> -Cosmic


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